Another Chance
by pirateers
Summary: Amanda and Belinda were running away when they had an accident that led to their untimely demise. Now, they have appeared in Middle Earth and have to help the Fellowship destroy the Ring. Of course, the Fellowship doesn't know what they agreed to...
1. The insanity begins

A/N: Warning. This story has much insanity in it. You have been warned.

Amanda stood outside, hidden under the trees. It was close to midnight in mid- January and was freezing cold outside. She huddled inside of her coat and shivered. All that went through her mind was that she was going to kill Belinda when she got there. She wouldn't have been surprised if even her hair would have icicles on the ends by now.

Finally, when she considered going back inside, she heard a low humming noise up the street. Amanda looked up the street to hear the humming get louder as it got closer to her. Amanda immediately knew who and what it was before the humming got even closer. Belinda had brought the motorbike.When she closer to Amanda, she stopped in front of her and took of her helmet, her flaming red hair becoming illimunated under the streetlight.

"You had to bring the motorcycle, just HAD to, didn't you?" Amanda asked quietly and angrily, staring at Belinda, who grinned at her from where she sat, straddling her motorbike. Amanda was staring at the bike in the disdain. She was starting to have second thoughts about even doing this.

"Well of course I did. Honestly, did you want to add stealing my parents' car on top of running away?" She handed Amanda a helmet. "Let's get going before your parents wake up. We don't want them stopping us." Amanda sighed exasperatedly before putting the helmet on, strapping her bag to the back of the bike. She was scared of being on the bike; hell, she was scared of a lot of things, but she couldn't back out now.

" Fine, but try to drive safely, I don't want to get in an accident." She climbed on behind Belinda, who threw her a grin over her shoulder.

"Have I been in an accident yet?" Amanda rolled her eyes.

"Well, there was that thing with that guy when you backed through his fence into the pool in your mom's car." Belinda laughed.

"Okay, so I can't park my mom's car, but I can drive my Lilly." She patted the motorcycle affectionately as she revved the motor.

"Did you have to name it?" Amanda yelled over the engine. Belinda ignored her and began driving down the street. She drove for about an hour before she came to the stoplight that would change their lives forever. She drove through the intersection, as her light was green. She had no time to react when a huge truck rolled through the light, blinding her. All she could see was light until the whole world went dark.

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"Who are you?" Amanda and Belinda looked around the room that they had just appeared in. There were a lot of people sitting in a circle, and it appeared that they had fell into the center of it. 

"Who are YOU?" Belinda shot back, staring at the guy who had just spoke. He was tall, blonde, and had… pointy ears? She stared at his ears.

"I am Elrond of Rivendell. I ask again, who are you?" Amanda and Belinda exchanged wide-eyed glances.

"I don't think we're in Kansas anymore Dorothy." Belinda muttered to Amanda, who nodded. "I am Belinda and this is my sister Amanda." Amanda smiled at her words, but nodded.

"From whence have you came?" Elrond asked, his face impassive.

"Elsewhere." Belinda replied, waving her hand skyward. He glared at her and she gave him a smug grin back.

"I could have you killed." Elrond told her firmly. She snorted, though Amanda looked worried.

"Been there, done that already today, it didn't work too well the first time." She folded her hands, resting her chin on them. "And besides, that would be a very bad idea."

"Yeah, really bad." Amanda chimed in, not too pleased at the idea of being killed.

"Why is that?" Elrond asked.

"Because I'm psychic!" Belinda told him. He stared at her blankly. "I can see the future?" She explained.

"Predict for us then." He ordered. She glared at him, then sat cross-legged on the floor. "What is she…" Amanda hushed him as Belinda exhaled deeply. Suddenly her eyes snapped open. When she spoke, her voice was different. It almost had an eerie type of presence to it.

"The company shall depart in the cold month. One of their number will die, one will betray the company. Two will prevail." Her voice faded, until there was silence in the room. Finally, she opened her eyes and stood. She looked at everyone staring at her. "What did I say this time?" She asked Amanda, her voice back to normal. Amanda told her in an undertone as people around the room discussed this.

"Sit, I will deal with you later." Elrond said finally. Belinda grinned at Amanda and they took seats at the edge of the circle. They sat quietly as the meeting progressed, neither of them daring to speak as the Council got louder and louder. Finally, in the silence after Gimli tried to destroy The Ring with his axe, Belinda spoke up.

"This meeting is sexist." Everyone stared at her. "Well, it is!" She exclaimed. "You notice that the only women here are us, and we weren't invited! We showed up!"

"Perhaps that is because women are the weaker sex." A blonde elf spoke up. She glared at him.

"Maybe it is cause you and your macho manliness have too much pride to invite a woman because you are afraid one might show you up and be stronger than you, elf boy." She shot back heatedly.

"Or they're too emotional, little one." Belinda stared at him.

"Oh no you didn't." she spat. Amanda knew things were going to get out of hand. Belinda flicked the elf off across the room, causing people to gasp. "First off, I don't respond to little one. Second of all, I'm not emotional, I'm truthful. There's a difference." She raised her eyebrow at him challengingly as she settled back into her chair.

"Younglings." He muttered, loud enough for her to hear.

"Male chauvinist pig." She stage whispered back.

"That is enough, both of you!" Elrond interrupted. "Legolas, I expected better of a Prince. The child, at least, had an excuse for her rudeness." Belinda smacked her forehead with her hand.

"Not a child." She muttered angrily. Elrond glared at her. She pointed at Amanda, looking around innocently. Amanda glared at Belinda.

"Stop trying to blame me." she hissed at her. Belinda mouthed, 'Who me?' At her. They both stayed quiet until the Company was chosen.

"And you notice again, no females." Belinda observed. "Unless that one's secretly a girl." She pointed at Legolas.

"Belinda, you're going to get us in trouble." Amanda said with a glare.

"So are you volunteering?" Elrond asked.

"Yes." Belinda responded. Amanda gasped. "And she's coming with me." She pointed at Amanda. Amanda put her right hand to her face.

"I knew we were getting into trouble." Amanda muttered with a sigh, but smiled at Elrond.

"Can you fight?" He asked.

"Course I can. You think I would volunteer for something like this if I didn't know how to fight?" Belinda said, with a worried look at Amanda. "Manda, can you…."

"I'm good at archery and fair at sword fighting." Belinda's mouth dropped open and she stared at Amanda. "I was taking lessons in my spare time. I didn't want to tell you because I though you might laugh at me." Belinda grinned at her.

"That's sneaky, underhanded, and conniving! I like it." Belinda hugged her.

"So the Company will be eleven. It is decided." Elrond said, and Belinda grinned at Legolas. "I would like to speak with you two." He pointed to the girls, who exchanged worried glances, but moved to stand in front of him. "Can I ask you from where you hail?" Amanda opened her mouth to speak, but Belinda elbowed her.

"Prime directive." Belinda hissed, referring to Star Trek, which had a Prime directive that didn't allow them to interfere in other cultures. "We would love to tell you." she told Elrond. "And maybe someday we will. But at this point, the fate of your entire world is at stake, and I don't want to screw it up by revealing anything. I'm really sorry." Amanda nodded. Elrond smiled at them.

"I think I understand. You may go now. I will have servants escort you to your rooms, they are right next to each other, and you can unpack your stuff." The girls stared at him, and he gestured to the bags on the floor.

"My bag!" Amanda scooped up her bag with a smile. Belinda picked up her own, smiling at the bag beneath it.

"My purse." She sighed happily, swinging it over her shoulder as she and Amanda followed a maid out of the meeting room.

"I don't like them, especially the red-head." Legolas observed to Elrond, who smiled at him.

"Of course you don't, she actually dared to stand up to you. You're used to Court women, who throw themselves at men's feet. I think she will be good for you." Legolas scowled. "And besides, you fight like a married couple, it's somewhat amusing." Legolas stormed out, and Elrond smiled knowingly.

"Amanda, are you alive in there?" Belinda knocked on Amanda's door. Amanda finally opened the door after two minutes. Belinda rolled her eyes and walked in, shutting the door behind her. "So we need to decide what to do now. I'm unpacked, have explored my rooms, decided sadly that nothing was explosive, then got bored out of my mind. Want to explore the place with me?" Amanda sighed.

"Belinda, we need to talk about what happened. We died. That doesn't happen everyday." Belinda sighed and sat on Amanda's bed.

"So we died. So what? We aren't exactly dead, so does it really matter?" Amanda stared at her.

"How can you act like this isn't a big deal? We DIED!" Belinda looked down.

"Death isn't that big. For some people, it is considered easier then living." Amanda sat down next to her.

"I'm sorry, I forgot." Belinda sighed.

"It isn't the way I would have ended it, but I told you that I wouldn't take the life I had anymore. I'm kind of glad you talked me into running away with you instead of killing myself." Amanda looked sadly at Belinda, remembering the night that she had gone to her house and found her there, drenched in blood. Belinda was remembering too, rubbing the scars at her wrists.

"What was I supposed to do, let you die? I love you too much to let you do that." Amanda exclaimed.

"I know. You're the best friend that I could ever ask for." Belinda replied. "And I'm sorry I thought about putting you through that. Can we talk about something else now?" Her face was not sad, but it showed no emotion either.

"Let's figure out how we got here." Amanda suggested. Belinda laughed dryly.

"Isn't it obvious? God has a sense of humor and instead of sending us to heaven, he sent us to Middle Earth, a writer's paradise," she said, saying"writer's paradise" sarcastically. Amanda rolled her eyes at her.

"Or there was a rift in the space-time continuum and we fell through it into this world."

"Or you've been watching too much Star Trek reruns," Belinda muttered with a smile.

"I can't help it, they had a marathon on Saturday and I had nothing better to do," Amanda said and Belinda laughed.

"So let's go explore this place."

A/N: So, it begins... I'm sorry, I like doing that. Anyhoo, this is just the 1st chapter, not very long, just background info and introduction stuff. The next chapter is my job, even though I edited this chapter, so I'll try to make it longer. If you haven't already guessed, my best friend and I are both writing this story. So, please read and review, all that jazz.

Pirateers a.k.a A.N.L & Loriela


	2. In which they explore

A/N: So…insanity, drama, revenge, all that jazz. Don't say I didn't warn you…

Chapter 2 AMANDA'S POV

Belinda and I spent the rest of the afternoon exploring all of Rivendell. I looked around in awe as Belinda shook her head at my love for writing. Actually, love is too nice a word. Passion would be more appropriate.

So anyways, we didn't bump into anyone while we were exploring, but we did see that elf... Legolas, I think his name was, and he was walking down the path with a human man.

As I looked at him, I felt intrigued. He had on clothes that a warrior might wear. He had stubble of a beard and stubble of a mustache. His dark raven hair was shoulder-length and looked very wavy. His eyes were caramel-colored and had a certain spark to them that I couldn't quite pick out.

"Oh look, it's sexist elf-boy," Belinda muttered, glancing over to where I was looking.

"Belinda, don't you think you're being too hard on him?" I asked, not really paying any attention to what I was saying.

Belinda looked at me as if I was crazy.

"Amanda... he said that women were weak. You did catch that, didn't you? That's really unforgivable," she said bitterly.

I shook my head. "Of course I did. And I'm just as pissed off as you are about it, but you need to think about it, Belinda. He doesn't know better. That's what he's been raised to believe. Besides, this world doesn't really exist. It was all Tolkien's work," I said calmly, taking my gaze away from the two and staring out into the trees.

"Looks, and feels real enough to me, but whatever. You go on your way of life with kindness and forgiveness and I'll go my way and you know what that is," Belinda said, crossing her arms over her chest.

I shrugged.

"Now that I've tried to make you listen to me again and failed, what do you want to do now?" I asked.

I saw Belinda shrug out of the corner of my eye.

"I dunno. Try to cause explosions and destructions?" she asked innocently.

"I don't feel like trying to stop you right now," I replied. I was looking at the bench on the gazebo-looking thing in wanting. I wanted to write, but I had to be by myself for it. That was the only way that I could actually write in peace.

"Let's go see if they have any food in this place," Belinda said, grabbing me by the arm and dragging me through the places that we hadn't seen yet. After twenty minutes, we had reached the conclusion that we could not find any food.

"They have to feed the Fellowship and the people who live here," I reasoned.

"You would think, wouldn't you?" Belinda retorted, sarcastically.

I heard footsteps on the nearby steps and saw the dark haired man that had walked with Legolas coming our way.

"Why don't we ask him?" I asked, pointing to the mysterious man.

"I don't know. Wasn't he walking with annoying elf-boy earlier?" Belinda asked in disdain.

"C'mon Belinda, don't judge him by who he hangs out with," I said, trying to be soothing.

"What the hell are you talking about? You do that all the time." I rolled my eyes.

"People in school are different. We know them," I defended, already making my way over to the mystery man. I heard Belinda start to run behind me to catch up.

As we got closer, I saw the man stare into my eyes and give a wry smile.

"So I can finally introduce myself to the two mysterious young women that appeared out of thin air at the meeting. I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn."

_Aragorn... of course! Why didn't I see this?_

"I'm Amanda and the sulky one is my best friend, Belinda," I said, pointing to my glaring best friend.

"A pleasure to meet you both," he said, glancing uneasily at Belinda as he said that.

"Listen, do you know where we can get some food?" I asked, clearly understanding that Belinda was too much in a bad mood at the moment to talk to him about anything. Aragorn nodded.

"In the Dining Hall, downstairs from your rooms they will be serving dinner soon. You may also want to change into more...suitable clothes," he said, eyeing our clothes not with disdain, but with curiosity.

"What do you mean by suitable?" Belinda asked, suspiciously.

"Well, it is traditional for women to wear dresses at meals," Aragorn replied. Belinda's eyes almost popped out of her head. Mine almost did too. If Belinda didn't share many things in common, here was one: We did not, under any circumstances, wear a dress.

"By whose order?" Belinda asked challengingly

"Lord Elrond was going to be lenient, but Legolas convinced him otherwise."

I looked over at Belinda, who looked like she was about to scream, but then she got a serene look on her face, then she flashed me THE grin. It was the grin that meant she had an absolutely brilliant idea, or the one that meant she was about to do something really insane. Or maybe both.

"I see. Amanda, come with me. We'll meet you in the Dining Hall," she said, pulling me with her towards our rooms.

"Belinda, have you gone insane? Wait, don't answer that. You hate wearing dresses! **I **hate wearing dresses," I cried out.

Belinda didn't speak until we got to her room where I finally saw her face. Her serene look and grin were gone. Replaced by a very evil look. I was suddenly very nervous.

"Belinda, what are you thinking?" I asked uneasily.

"Let's just say that this will be a very interesting dinner," she said, with that same evil look.

A/N: DUH DUH DUH…. Reviews are welcome, exalted, rewarded, appreciated, put in frames and hung as trophies…etc. So if you didn't get my not so subtle hint, REVIEW THIS STORY!…please.


	3. Many a Fight & Payback

A/N: Warning: This chapter contains insanity, food fights, and cruel acts upon a certain elf. You have been warned, once again.

BELINDA'S POV

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Amanda asked me worriedly, glancing at the outfits I had picked for us.

"You could wear a dress instead," I told her, sweeping my red hair up into a high ponytail. "Personally, I like this," I was wearing a long-sleeved, low cut lacy shirt with a miniskirt, the only one I owned, as I wasn't fond of them, but owned one that a friend had given me. When I say mini, what I really mean is micro, almost non-existential. Amanda was wearing a low cut short-sleeved shirt that read: Girl gone wild. It was my shirt, but that is only because she owned nothing low cut. She was also wearing what I nicknamed my 'hooker skirt.' It was black and ended at her knees. I had also talked her into wearing my fishnet tights.

"Point taken," Amanda replied, slipping on a pair of her black shoes. I put on one of my 'kick ass boots,' they were black shiny leather, went halfway up my calves, and zipped up the sides.

"I knew you'd see it my way," I smirked, walking to the mirror to put on makeup. Amanda rolled her eyes as she stood to join me.

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I grinned at Amanda before we opened the doors to the Dining Hall. When we walked in, the whole hall fell silent. We were, as I like to say, fashionably late, and everyone else was seated. Everyone stared at us, Elrond included, who had seemed too proper to stare.

"Well, I knew I was sexy, but I've never silenced a room before," I said loudly, walking forward. My boots clicked against the wood floor in the silent room. As usual, Legolas spoke up.

"I believe you were asked to wear dresses?" He asked, almost snidely. I smiled sweetly at him and I could feel Amanda make a face from beside me.

"I do believe I was, sugar," I replied, piling on a heavy southern accent, "But for the life of me, I do believe that they have all gotten up and walked away. I can't find them anywhere," Manda snorted from beside me. "And besides, I like the way the room falls silent when I enter," I added, my voice back to my normal tone. Amanda and I sat in empty seats at the table.

"That went well," she said, looking around at all the staring people. "Do you know they're still staring?" I laughed.

"Let them. If they try anything I have only two words about it," Amanda looked at me curiously as everyone seemed to lean forward to hear what I was about to say.

"What?" She asked, though I'm sure she knew what I was about to say.

"Castrate and butter knife," Every male in the room flinched as I calmly took a bite of food. After a few minutes, the talking resumed as normal. I realized that the annoying elf man was across the table from me. I looked down to the pile of grapes on my plate, and up to him. A grin spread across my face.

"Don't you dare," Amanda hissed in my ear. I shook my head at her, took a grape, then lobbed it at Legolas. It hit him right in the middle of his forehead. He glared at me. I shrugged with wide eyes.

"I didn't do anything. Somebody's throwing things," I observed calmly. He went back to his conversation with Aragorn. I threw another one, hitting him in the chest. He glared at me, then picked it up and threw it back. It landed on my chest and fell down my shirt. Everyone's eyes were on us. I gave him a death glare, the reached into my shirt and pulled in out. I put it on my plate, the impaled it on my fork. He flinched. I put my fork on his plate, and he didn't even notice as I slipped something into his drink. Amanda saw, but didn't ask any questions. I stayed only long enough to make sure he drank it, then excused myself, and went upstairs. Amanda followed me.

"What did you put in his drink?" She asked as soon as we got back to my room.

"Sleeping pills," I replied, opening my bag and pulling out a small box.

"Where did you get that?" She asked suspiciously.

"The sleeping pills or the hair dye?" I asked, reading the instructions included with the dye.

"Both."

"Well, the sleeping pills are mine from the time that I couldn't ever sleep at night, and the hair dye I bought before we ran away. I was going to dye my hair, but then we died,"

"You were going to dye it pink?" She shook her head in disbelief. "Can I help you get him?"

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I awoke early the next morning to the birds chirping, the sun shining on a blissful, still sleeping household.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" A scream pierced the air. A male scream. I chuckled and stuck my head out the door. Amanda had her head out hers and we shared an amused look before a tall elf with pink hair came running down the hallway. "BELINDA!"

"I do love men screaming my name," I sighed, but stopped at the look on his face. I closed my door and locked it. He began pounding on it as I slipped out onto my balcony and slid down the ivy to the ground floor. I was in the dining hall when he came in, being restrained by a smirking Aragorn. "So Legolas, you look different today," I mused, looking at him. "What is it…. Oh, it's your hair, its pink. Looks very nice on you," I yelped as he shoved aside Aragorn and tackled me.

"You're in trouble," he hissed angrily, sitting on top of my stomach. I glared up at him.

"I wanted to be on top," I pouted, while some of the others in the room gasped or snorted at the implications of my statement.

"How did you do this without waking me?" He asked, gesturing to his hot pink hair. I giggled.

"That's for me to know and you to find out," I replied with a wink. "And besides, it's just revenge for calling women weak and attempting to make me wear a dress and for tossing a grape down my shirt,"

"How do I make it go away?" He asked, ignoring my comment.

"Semi-permanent dye, goes away in 6 to 8 weeks,"

"I'm going to…" I never found out what he was going to do because Elrond interrupted.

"I am ashamed of both of you. You will go to your rooms and remain there until you can apologize to each other. You will not be allowed to meals and no one is to bring you food. After you apologize to each other, you may be let out. You're behaving like children, and thus will be treated as such," I glared at Legolas and Elrond before two tall blonde, perfectly Barbie-like elves "escorted" me to my room. I'm sure Elrond expected us to just apologize and get it over with, but I had my pride, and he, being an elf, didn't need much food. Damn elves. But this was a game I had played before, and I was not going to give in easily. Guards were posted outside my door, visitors were to be searched, my window was locked closed, and my every move tracked. I bet that they were expecting me to only last a day, maybe two. They were in for quite a surprise.

A/N: If you are still there, and we haven't scared you off, please read, review, all that jazz.


	4. The punishment

A/N: There is no insanity in this chapter…wonder how that happened…oh well, read it anyway.

Amanda's POV

I walked down the Dining Hall an hour after Legolas came screaming for Belinda's head. I stopped in front of the Dining Hall door to see Aragorn standing there.

"What happened? Where is Belinda?" He looked away from me. "Oh no. What'd she do?" I asked in dread.

"You mean besides turning Legolas's hair pink?" Aragorn asked quizzically.

"Yeah, besides that. That's actually pretty normal for her. I had thought she'd do something much worse. But I suppose she isn't truly mad at him," I said thoughtfully.

"Why do you think that?" Aragorn asked.

"If she was truly mad at him, he'd be on fire right now," I said, my voice staying completely calm.

"I understand," he said in a tone of voice that clearly said he did not understand at all.

"Where is Belinda now?" I asked.

"Lord Elrond has forced her and Legolas to stay in their rooms until one of them apologizes. Before Legolas went into his room, he boasted that she would come to him in a day," Aragorn explained.

I shook my head. "That'll never happen," I said in amusement.

"Why not?"

"As long as I have known her, Belinda has never apologized to a man first," I stated.

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Four days passed and my amusement turned to anxiety. Apparently, I wasn't the only one. From what I heard from Lord Elrond, Legolas kept asking about Belinda. I finally decided to try and talk to Belinda. I went up to Belinda's room, where guards were still outside the door. Even though I didn't have anything with me, they still searched my person, which I strongly protested against. When I finally got through their interrogation, I went through the door and saw Belinda standing at on the balcony, looking out into the world.

"Belinda, it's been four days. Don't you think that this has gone on long enough? Can't you just apologize and get it over with?" I asked in quiet desperation. Belinda didn't turn around for a moment. It almost seemed as if she hadn't heard me. I was about to repeat myself when she turned around. I took a small step back. I didn't like the look in her eyes. It looked haunted, hollow, as if she didn't have any purpose in life anymore. I had only seen this once before. It scared me then and it still scared me now.

"There's no way in Hell that's going to happen, Amanda," she said with a serious tone.

I looked into her eyes and saw that even though she still had that haunted look, she still had her pride. She would not apologize unless Legolas apologized first.

As I looked at her, I wished more than ever that there was some way I could help the woman that had become like my sister, but I knew that I never could relate to what she had gone through over the years. All the choices that she made, choices I had tried to stop her from making, but failed. Some of them I hadn't even known about.

When I had found her lying in her own pool of blood that cold night, I was ashamed at mostly myself for not seeing that coming. I had failed as a best friend to help her. I was determined not to make the same mistake again. I would help her get better, no matter what it took.

I gave Belinda a small hug before leaving her room to go to Legolas's room, where elves still searched me for food. When I went through the door, I saw Legolas sitting on his bed.

"Oh, I thought you might have been the red-haired one," Legolas said. I saw the eager look on his face disappear as he saw that it was me.

"Legolas, I've known Belinda for years. I've been with her through a lot and seen her make choices that even she herself cannot change. I tried to help her, but I was powerless. She almost withered away once because of my negligence. I won't let it happen again.

"She won't apologize to you first. She has too much pride for it. Please, just apologize to her. She looks so haunted. Being cooped up inside there has probably forced her to be reliving memories that she shouldn't be reliving. I don't know how much longer she'll last. Please, apologize," I cried out, the tears beginning to stream down my cheeks.

Legolas looked at me for a long moment. There was nothing but silence between us for almost five minutes. When he spoke, I noticed that his voice wavered a little.

"How do you know that she is not sick from no food?" he asked.

I shook my head sadly. "It's part of her past. That's all I can say. It's not my place to tell you. She'll tell you when and if she's ready."

Legolas stared at me some more for a moment before replying, "Do you think she'll listen?" I began to smile as I interpreted what he said. He was going to apologize.

I shrugged. "No one really knows with her. You'll just have to go to her and see."

A/N: If you didn't get the implications of things said in this chapter, they will be brought up and explained later. Feedback is loved and cherished by both of us. Read our Harry Potter fic: Destinies Unknown. Shameless promotion: Read our stories under our separate names: Loriela and A.N.L


	5. Apologies and Fighting

A/N:Here you go, loyal reviewers. Another chapter to keep you all happy. 

BELINDA'S POV

It had been four days since the start of my imprisonment. I could already feel myself slipping away. I held onto what I had of my life, my sanity, to keep alive. I couldn't sleep, couldn't think. Memories assaulted me every time I closed my eyes, every time I tried to think of better times. My past would never stop haunting me, not ever, and this wasn't helping anything. I couldn't give in though, couldn't let him win. The longer I stayed here, the more I was reverting to my old ways. Amanda was worried, she still felt guilty about not noticing my desperation the last time I got this down.

On the third day or so I began to lose all my feeling. Nothing mattered to me anymore; I was having trouble keeping everything straight. I gave in to the old me, the one to which nothing mattered, and everything was a game. Some part of me yelled at myself, the last time I played this game I nearly died.

I was considering apologizing, but there was no way I would ever be able to make it to him, let alone get the apology out without collapsing. I could wait until he came to me, or I collapsed. Somebody would find me eventually. The last time I had gone this long without food was 3 years ago, when I was 14. It was a punishment then, a way to hurt my body that could feel no emotional pain. It got out of control and I ended up trying to end my life. Amanda stopped me then, and I have no regrets now.

The birds out my window were the only things to look at; singing to myself was the only thing to do. My voice was fading with my strength, and I could barely hear myself. I set myself to wondering, why I was here, why Elrond had decided on this punishment. Mostly I reflected on my life. My life, as short as it had already been, was full of too much pain, too much sorrow. I sat at the foot of my bed trying to remember the last time my parents had said they loved me, and found I couldn't. I wondered if my body was still on my Earth, or if I had just disappeared. I wondered if they had had a funeral for me, if anyone had attended. I tried to imagine my father pretending to be distraught, but couldn't even remember his face. Home was a mere shadow in my mind, a place I never wanted to return to, never wanted to see again. There really was no reason to go back, I hoped I had died there.

I thought I was going crazy when I heard a knock on the door. Amanda never knocked, and I could never imagine Legolas apologizing. I had forgiven him long ago anyway; it didn't really matter if he said sorry or not. I never would have imagined him giving in, so I thought I was hallucinating when he stepped through my door. His hair, as I expected, was back to blonde. Trust an elf to figure out how to undye his hair. I stood at the foot of my bed staring at him, clutching the bedpost for support. I looked up from the floor into his eyes, wondering if he was really there.

"She was right," He couldn't tear his eyes from my face. I wondered if it was snow white or something. "Your eyes are haunted, filled with pain," He added. I looked at him wearily, hoping he would either apologize or leave. "I'm sorry I stayed away this long, let it get this bad. I apologize for acting like a child," I coughed weakly, clearing my throat.

"Apology accepted," I whispered back, it was a loud as my voice would go. My vision swam, the world moving as I held onto the bedpost for dear life. He looked at me with pity, and I turned away from him. Pity was the one thing I didn't need from him right now, and I was about to tell him such when my grip on the post slipped. I felt my legs give out from beneath me as I crumpled on a direct path to the floor. Legolas caught me before I hit the ground, and I could hear him yelling for the guards. I could hear the panic in his voice, thinking dazedly that he actually cared, before my world went black.

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I drifted in and out of consciousness for a while, I didn't know how long. I caught snatches of conversation when I was awake.

"Will she be okay?" This was Legolas' voice.

"She should be fine," Elrond replied, his voice continued, but I couldn't hear as I drifted away again.

"I hold you responsible if she's not okay!" My best friend Amanda hissed, her voice an octave higher then normal, worry lacing her tone.

"I hold myself responsible if she's not okay," Legolas returned. I tried to open my mouth, to tell them that I was fine, but my eyes were to heavy to open, my throat too dry to speak.

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I finally opened my eyes to a dark room lit by one candle at my bedside. I looked around slowly at the dim room. A blonde sat at my bedside, and as my vision cleared, I could see it was Legolas.

"Legolas?" My voice was stuck in my throat; my words were not even loud enough to be considered a whisper. Human ears would not have heard them, but my watcher was not human. He looked down at me and smiled upon seeing me awake. He handed me a glass of water, which I drank thankfully before trying to sit up.

"How long have I been out?" I asked him, putting down the glass of water.

"Less than a day. We were worried that you would get a fever on top of what you had, but it appears you will be fine," I nodded.

"Where's Amanda?" I queried, expecting to find her by my side.

"I sent her to bed. We don't need her getting sick. She has pretty much refused to leave your bedside."

"Yeah, like you left her side," I looked up to see Aragorn in the doorway. "I had to threaten him just to get him down for meals." Legolas glared at him before replying shortly.

"Well considering it was my fault that she's like this, it was the least I could do," I looked up at the elf, who, just four days ago, I was convinced hated me.

"Sure. I'll go tell Elrond that she's awake," He left as soon as he'd come.

"So how do you feel?" Legolas asked, turning back to look at me, lighting another candle so I could see.

"Fine," I replied shortly, evasively. Things still weren't making much sense to me and I didn't want to talk about it now.

"Honestly?" He asked me, and I looked at him with a sigh.

"I'm hungry, my head hurts, I have this overbearing feeling of sadness and fear, I'm tired and very confused," Well, he did tell me to be honest. He looked concerned, but appearances can be deceiving. At his words though, I could feel his worry, his guilt.

"Your friend said something about you having to relive things from your past that you shouldn't, that she was worried a lot about you. Do you want to talk about it?" I shook my head quickly.

"I don't want to talk about that right now. I'm sorry, and you deserve to know someday, but I can't talk about it yet, not now. I'll tell you when I'm ready," He nodded, acquiescing.

"I'll always be there if you want to talk. Can we now put these silly differences aside and just be friends?" I smiled slightly.

"Sure. Just understand that the next time you call women weak, me emotional, or toss grapes down my shirt, know that I will retaliate. I am sorry for the hair thing,"

"How did you do that without me noticing?" I giggled slightly.

"I slipped a sleeping remedy into your drink," He smiled in disbelief before laughing.

"I can't believe you did that. I can't believe I didn't see you do that. That was sneaky," We laughed together as Elrond entered the room.

"It is so nice to see you two getting along so well," He looked at me. "How are you feeling?" I rolled my eyes. It was going to be a long night.

888888888888888888 A few days later

"Get him 'Manda," I hollered, watching Amanda spar with Aragorn. Nearby Merry and Pippin, two others of our Company, sparred with Boromir, who I really did not like. "It is way too hot in here," I muttered, wiping sweat off my forehead.

"You could wear shirts with shorter sleeves," Legolas replied from behind me, making me jump.

"I told you not to sneak up on me like that. And besides, I have my reasons for long sleeves," I glanced up at him. He was examining my arm. I looked down and quickly pulled my shirtsleeve down, covering my scar back up. If he had seen it, he said nothing.

"Shall we fight?" He asked, putting a hand to the sword at his waist.

"Sure, but no weapons, no rules, just us trying to pin each other to the ground," I replied. My way of fighting, no rules, no restrictions, nice and "fair," except for the fact that everyone cheated. I wore my nails long and my hair up just for fights like this. There was no way I was going to lose.

We dropped our weapons in a pile at the edge of the room. We circled each other, looking for a weakness. I briefly noticed that everyone else had stopped fighting to watch before my eyes flickered back to Legolas. I put on my best maniacal grin, saved especially for fighting. People seem to be unnerved by a grinning opponent. His eyes left me for a second to look at something behind me. That was all the opportunity I needed. I swept my leg into the back of his kneecaps, sending him to the floor. He hopped up quickly and tackled me. I grabbed him by the shoulder, using what all Star Trek fans would call the Vulcan Death Grip. He gasped and let me go and I locked my arms around his neck, my legs wrapped around his stomach as I sat on his back. Now I am not really a light person, so I was surprised when he stood with me on his back, as if I weighed nothing at all. I was so surprised that I almost let go, but quickly remembered that I was not going to let him beat me. He tried to slam me into the wall, but I slid off quickly.

"C'mon, you're going easy on me. Well don't, 'cause I can kick your scrawny ass any day," I trash-talked him, hoping he'd try to charge me. But I had no such luck. Finally I hauled into him with my fist, catching him in the stomach. He seemed to sort of snap, and hit me in the jaw. My head snapped sideways and I spat blood on the floor. He looked concerned, but I glared at him and inched closer and closer to him. Finally I was close enough to accomplish what I wanted to. I brought my knee up, hard, into his groin. He went down and I could see the other males in the area flinch. "1…2…3…4…5…He's down!" I helped him off the floor, where he lay in pain. "Sorry 'bout that," I said, wiping blood from my face.

"Elrond," He pointed behind me. I turned and looked into the face of Elrond. I grinned at him

"Wanna fight me some time?" He shuddered and shook his head.

A/N -Fight, fight, fight- Sorry, got caught up in the moment. Nice job, Anne, on another great chapter. My chapter will be brought to you all in a week or so, if I have time. School has now kicked in full time for me. Projects and tests galore! What fun :( Unlike Anne, on the other hand, who doesn't have as many difficult classes as I do. Lucky girl. Anyhoo, read, review, all that jazz


	6. An Unwilling Heir

A/N: There is no real insanity in this chapter…how sad…just wait 'til the next one!

AMANDA'S POV

Before either Belinda or I knew it, it was the night before we would begin our journey to Mordor. I will admit that I was nervous...alright, I'll be blunt. I was having a panic attack. Belinda, meanwhile, was torn between being annoyed with me and trying to console me.

"Amanda, come on. What is there to be scared of?" I looked at her as if she had grown an extra head.

"What's there to be scared of? Hmm, let's think about that. The fact that we are going to where Sauron lives and there will most likely be Orcs all over the place. Not to mention the Nazgul. You're right, Belinda. There really isn't anything to be scared of," I finished derisively.

"Don't be sarcastic with me, Amanda Nicole," Belinda warned.

"Don't order me around, Belinda Ja..." I started, but was stopped by the look in Belinda's eyes.

"You finish that sentence and you won't live to go on this trip, **Mango**," she said slowly, purposely using the name that another one of our friends came up for me. (A/N: Entirely true, people. Someone has called me Mango. Why? I still don't know).

I took another look at her and knew that I would rather be killed by Orcs then by Belinda. It was times like these that reminded me how lucky I was to have Belinda as my best friend. If Belinda was your enemy, you'd better start writing out your will, because you won't be living for too long.

"Alright, I'm sorry. It's just I'm scared, ok? I'm not brave or a fighter like you are," I replied mordantly, starting to walk out the door.

"Amanda, come back here. I'm sorry." It was as if I had tuned her out. A deep realization had hit me when I was walking out of the door. The chances of me surviving were at a minimal. Belinda was the fighter, she stood up to people. Me, I was the cautious one, the anxious one. People like me never lived too long in battle.

Before I realized it, I began to run out of the door. I didn't know where I was going, but I found that I didn't care. I had to get away from Belinda for the moment. I could feel something closing in on me, but I didn't know what.

When I finally stopped running, I clutched my sides and was breathing heavily. I looked up at what was around me. It seemed I had found myself in some type of weird room. It wasn't even a room.

I walked closer to a painting that was hanging on the wall. I recognized it immediately. It was the scene from when Isildur cut off Sauron's hand. I reached out and brushed my fingers against it. It felt surprisingly cool against my warm fingers.

I turned around and saw the sword, the broken sword that had been used to cut off Sauron's hand. I went over and looked at the broken pieces. I then wondered why the elves had been given the shreds of the sword and why didn't they return it to its original state?

I reached out and grabbed the hilt of the sword and picked it up. I was surprised by how light it actually was. When I had once tried to pick up Belinda's sword, it felt as if I were carrying tons and tons of bricks.

I was so engrossed in thought that I didn't hear footsteps coming towards me until someone spoke.

"I see you have found the sword that once belonged to my predecessor's father." I spun around and there stood Aragorn, wearing looser clothes than he had before, but still carrying around both a sword and a knife.

I hastily, but gently, put down the sword and rubbed my hands against my pants nervously.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to trespass or anything," I said, nervously. To my relief, Aragorn gave a small chuckle.

"You mean no harm to anyone or anything, miss, I understand that. I'm sure it would be different for your friend." I gave a small smile.

"Probably, because she likes to set things on fire."

Then there was an awkward pause. I'm sure that you have experienced it before. Not quite knowing what to say and wondering what the other person is thinking at the moment.

Finally, I decided to break the silence, which was rare for me.

"How do you feel being Isildur's heir? About following in his footsteps?" For a moment, I thought that I shouldn't have asked that, considering the sudden dark look that had appeared on his face, but it was replaced by another look. Something that I could not distinguish.

"The same weakness flows through my veins, Amanda. It is a terrible thing to be reminded of, day after day."

It would seem appropriate to feel pity for the man, but I felt that I could not. Somehow I knew that he would not like me pitying him. Instead, I tried to comfort him.

"Just because you are his heir, doesn't mean that you are like him. You and him are two different people. Something tells me, that if you were given the choice, you would have destroyed it." There was no need to explain what **it** was. He knew as well as I did that I was talking about the ring.

"Do you really think that?" Aragorn asked softly. I nodded.

"Yes. Yes, I do." We stood in silence for another few minutes. When I saw that Aragorn was going to speak, he was interrupted by someone crying out my name.

"It's Belinda," I stated. Aragorn nodded.

"Your friend may need you, go on." I didn't want to talk to Belinda, but I knew that I had to. I had to come to terms with what was going to happen. I wouldn't tell Belinda though. I couldn't have her worrying or trying to motivate me. I knew my odds, but I would make the most of them.

"So, I guess I'll see you tomorrow," I said, walking out.

As I ran to try and find Belinda, I thought I heard Aragorn say, "Good night, wise one."

A/N: I would just like to remind everyone that we live for reviews. If we don't get enough, we could die, and I don't think that would be very beneficial to the writing of our stories, now would it?


	7. Bring On The Men

A/N: Insanity that progresses to angst.

BELINDA'S POV

"You're going to do WHAT!" Amanda practically screamed the last word. I laughed quietly.

"I'm going to wear a dress to dinner. I just want to see how badly everyone freaks out," Amanda stared at me.

"Since when did you even own a dress?" I grinned at her.

"Since I took up singing at bars for money," I replied nonchalantly, looking through my bag for the dress.

"Oh. That dress," She said with understanding. "That doesn't really count as a dress," I pulled out my dress. It was a black dress that came down to my knees. It had a slit up one side, and gold leaves surrounding the split and the top of the dress. The dress had one strap that came over my right shoulder, which held it up as the other side drifted dangerously close to being indecent. "Are you actually going to wear that?" She asked, looking down at my arm. I sighed.

"There are ways around that problem," I put the dress on and sighed as I looked down at the scars on my arm. "But I think everyone will find out eventually, so I'm not going to bother hiding it anymore," Amanda gave me an understanding smile.

"Well I'm glad. It's about time you let people know. That's too much to keep inside like you do," I nodded as I began to do my hair in the room's mirror.

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Stunned silence greeted me as I entered the dining hall. I smiled, remembering another time this room had been this silent.

"Geez. I don't wear a dress and you stare, I wear a dress and you stare. I can't win here, can I?" I heard a few laughs as Amanda and I sat with the rest of the Fellowship. "It's a one time thing," I informed Legolas, who was staring at me from his seat next to mine. He looked at me and smiled, but his smile turned to a frown as his eyes caught on my arms. I looked away quickly and began eating, hoping he wouldn't ask questions. I had no such luck.

"Who did this to you?" He asked me softly, his hand tracing the scars that littered my pale arms. I looked down. It might not have been a good idea to wear this dress. "Belinda?" I sighed and looked up at him sadly.

"I did." It was all I could say, sadness clouding my mind and shame making me look away. He said nothing, just turned back to his meal, looking deep in thought. In the silence that followed, I looked up and around the table, where people avoided my gaze. I went back to looking at my plate sadly.

I got through the dinner okay, and at the end Elrond made a speech, telling us to work together, and we will prevail, or something like that.

"Sing for us Belinda!" I glared at my grinning best friend, but by then the others had joined in asking. I looked at the table, then up at Amanda with a huge grin on my face.

"I think I know what I should sing," I told her with a smile and a laugh. Her face lit up with understanding.

"No, you wouldn't!" I stood and walked to the front of the room. "You would." I heard her mumble from behind me. All eyes were on me as I stood there.

"I have been asked to sing for you guys, so I guess I'm going to sing," There was some scattered applause. I picked up my glass and took a drink of water before clearing my throat. "Here goes."

"_There was a time, I don't know when, I didn't have much time for men. But this is now, and that was then, I'm learning. A girl alone, all on her own, must try to have a heart of stone, so I try not to make it known my yearning. I try to show I have no need, I really do, I don't succeed._

_So lets bring on the men, and let the fun begin. A little touch of sin, why wait another minute? Step this way, it's time for us to play, they say we may not pass this way again, so let's waste no more time, bring on the men. _

_I always knew, I always said that silken lace in black and red will drive a man right off his head, it's easy. So many men, so little time, I want them all, is that a crime? I don't know they say that I'm too easy. They make me laugh, they make me cry, they make me sick, so God knows why._

_We say bring on the men, and let the fun begin. A little touch of sin, why wait another minute? Step this way, it's time for us to play, they say we may not pass this way again, so let's waste no more time, bring on the men. _

_They break your heart, they steal your soul, take you apart, and yet they somehow make you hurt. So what's their game? I suppose a rose by any other name... the perfume and the pricks the same," I laughed, putting emphasis on the word pricks. _

_"I like to have a man for breakfast each day. I'm very social and I like it that way. By late mid-morning I need something to munch, so I ask over two men for lunch. I met a man over my afternoon teas. They're quite informal, I just do to please. Those triple sandwiches are my favorite one, I'm also very partial to buns._

_My healthy appetite gets strongest at night. My adult dinners are my men friends' delight. When I invite the fellas over to dine, they all come early, in bed by nine!_

_So let's bring on the men, and let the fun begin. A little touch of sin, why wait another minute? Step this way, it's time for us to play, they say we may not pass this way again, so let's waste no more time, bring on the men!" _I smiled as I finished my song and bowed to a shell-shocked audience. Amanda had her head lowered in shame, her face red. I grinned, barely containing my laughter at the looks on some of the people's faces.

"That was...good," Elrond finally said, breaking the silence. I smiled at him and winked, sashaying back to my seat. His ears turned pink, I noticed with a smile.

"Oh come on, it wasn't that bad," I comforted Amanda, who looked as if this was the end of the world. She shot me a death glare.

"Oh yes it is! I can't believe you did that," I smiled at her red face and chanced a glance around the table. I was getting mostly disapproving looks, some embarrassed glances, and a few amused smiles. Legolas was staring at me, so I stared right back. Finally he gave up and smiled.

"I can't believe you sang that either. People here will remember you for a long time," I shrugged.

"Better they remember me for that then some other things they've seen," I replied, rubbing my wrist. Legolas' smile turned to a frown.

"I would like to talk to you somewhere more private about that," I sighed, but nodded. Amanda shot me a worried glance and I sent her my best attempt at a reassuring smile. She raised her eyebrow at me and I shrugged. She nodded and I followed Legolas out of the room. He walked down the hallway, through a long corridor, to a door. He pulled a key out of his pocket and opened the door to what I assumed was his room. "Sit down," He said, sitting on the floor. I sat down on the floor next to him, smoothing my dress out.

"What do you want to know?" I finally asked, realizing that he could be trusted, and that I really needed someone to talk to.

"Why?" He asked simply. "Why did you do that to yourself?" I looked down at the floor and said flatly.

"Because I hated myself, I hated life, and I wanted to end it," He looked as shocked as I felt. This was as truthful as I had ever been with someone, and I barely knew him.

"What happened to you to make you feel like you needed to kill yourself?"

"It wasn't worth living. Nobody loved me, my parents were fighting and always ignored me, and nothing in life could go right for me anymore. I used to cry so hard at night before I went to sleep, and they never heard me, or if they did, they never came to comfort me. They never praised me, only scolded me. All I wanted was for them to love me, but they couldn't even do that.

"I got to the point where I was so tired of all of it, of hurting and crying. I let myself go numb, if I couldn't feel, they couldn't hurt me. That helped for a while, but like all good things in my life, it went wrong. I couldn't feel sadness, but I couldn't feel happy either. And all the bad feelings were just being locked inside of me, eating away at me. I had to find a way to feel again, so I started cutting." I stopped speaking and took a shaky breath, quickly looking up at Legolas. His face was worried, and full of pity. I looked back at the ground, scared that he would hate me if he knew the truth.

"Belinda?" I looked up at him, trying to keep from crying. "You don't have to tell me if you're not ready." I sighed

"No, it's okay, just promise me something," He raised an eyebrow. "Whatever I say, promise you won't hate me or turn from me." He nodded solemnly.

"I promise." I took a deep breath and continued.

"Well, I kept cutting for a long time, I started starving myself, and I just kept falling deeper and deeper into depression. The thing that hurt the most was that no one noticed. I would wear short sleeves around the house and my parents never noticed my cuts. I thought that no one cared, so one night I decided to just end it. Amanda had been worried about me, and she came to check on me that night. If she hadn't, well, I'd be dead now. She found me lying on the floor of my bathroom covered in blood." I held out my wrists to him, showing him the now-healed gashes on them. I could see the surprise in his eyes. "So we ran away from home and ended up here," I summarized finally. He took my arm in his hands, running his fingers across the scars.

"You made all these?" I nodded, barely containing my tears. He noticed that, and pulled me into a hug. "It's okay, I don't hate you for it, I can't understand it because I've never been in your shoes, but I can't hate you for it." A few tears rolled down my cheeks. "And it is okay to cry, you've had it all pent up inside you for too long." At his words I burst out into tears as he held me to his chest. For once in my life I felt truly safe

_/Let all fall away_

_Except for your soul_

_Let go of your body, _

_Your imperfections._

_Let go of the words,_

_Let go of your skin._

_Let it all go, _

_And you will truly see yourself._

_Look in the mirror broken girl, _

_Look at yourself, for who you really are._

_What has broken you?_

_Words, acts, they mean nothing now._

_Drift in limbo and learn the truth:_

_It is not you, it is them._

_They have broken you, day after day._

_All of your hopes they have taken away,_

_And all of your dreams._

_Drift in limbo, _

_And you can finally feel alright._

_Unbroken, for once,_

_Understood._

_The only thing that separates you is your attitude, _

_Your tears and scars._

_Let them all fall away and you are one of them_

_Perfection._

_But do you really want to be like that?_

_A punisher, a predator?_

_Drift back._

_You are the punished, but that is okay,_

_Because you know the truth._

_You're just like them underneath, _

_And they can no longer hurt you,_

_For you know their words mean nothing,_

_And your scars are merely scars, _

_There is nothing left to be ashamed of,_

_For you are real, _

_Not plastic,_

_And that's okay./_

A/N: Beautiful poem by Belinda. She's the poetic one and I'm the... novel-writing one. The song that Belinda sang is "Bring On the Men". Yeah... I really would hide my face in shame, folks. I really would. Hope this will tide you over until the next chapter. Until then, read, review, all that good stuff.


	8. Many A Loss

Chapter 8:

Amanda's Tale

I climbed down from the window, with tears in my eyes. I didn't know what to think or what to feel. Sure, I had heard the story many times, but it seemed like this time it had hit me deeper than before. Once I managed to climb down safely, I quickly wiped my eyes with the back of my hand.

"Are you alright, Amanda?" I spun around to see Aragorn. But how did he know that I was there?

I gave him a small smile, hoping he hadn't seen my tears.

"I'm fine, really. I really am," I replied as enthusiastically as I could, but Aragorn frowned deeply.

"No, you aren't. You were crying," he stated simply. My first reaction was to get defensive, which wasn't like me at all.

"I said I was fine, ok? Why can't you just take my word for it?" I cried out.

"Because I can see it in your eyes. Seeing your friend in a mess reminds you of something that happened to you." My eyes widened in shock, but then I murmured, "Mom-Mom."

"What did you say?" Aragorn asked.

"My grandmother died about two months ago. Seeing Belinda's pain reminded me of my own pain. Seeing my grandmother's body in that coffin... it was almost more than I could handle." My voice quavered.

"How close were you to your grandmother?" Aragorn asked, putting a comforting hand on my shoulder. Surprisingly, I wasn't angry about his question, or about the fact that he was in my personal space. He seemed almost like a father to all the fellowship, to anyone who needed help or advice.

"Very. My other grandmother died many years ago, so she was the only one I had and she fulfilled everything that a grandmother was about. And then, to go to her viewing and see her in that coffin... it's something that Belinda never truly experienced."

Aragorn looked down on me. "She never lost a family member?"

"Great-grandparents, but still not the same as losing a grandmother so suddenly. But I know that what she went through is truly much worse," I replied.

"Why do you say that?" Aragorn asked curiously.

"When my grandmother died, my world fell apart, but I have been able to put it back together. Once Belinda's world fell apart, it stayed apart until she couldn't take anymore and she almost tried to end it all." I shook my head. I couldn't talk about that now. I just needed to be alone for a while. Seeing Belinda opened up old wounds and I just couldn't take talking about it anymore.

"Listen, Aragorn. I'm tired, I think I'll go to bed," I said, turning away from him. I felt my feet begin to walk away from Aragorn, who called my name once before heading to what appeared to be Belinda's room. I knew that in a matter of minutes, Belinda would be out looking for me.

I didn't know where I was walking nor did I truly care. Now that the memory was back in my mind, I couldn't get it out. Walking in that room, seeing her laid out in that coffin, looking so pale and unmoving. That wasn't the grandmother that I had known, but yet... that was how I remembered her most of the time. It was rare to remember the times that I had with her. And then, seeing Belinda reminded me of how I failed to see her own pain and yet, she could clearly see mine.

What kind of best friend was I?

As that thought went through my head, I began to think that she was better off without me. She needed someone who could support her and keep her from harm and I had failed to do that. The more that I thought about, the more I wanted to just leave. It would be better for everyone.

Before I could go through with the plan, I heard someone calling my name.

"Belinda..."

A/N: The shortness of this chapter is regrettable, but both us authors have been through a lot of stuff lately, with deaths in both families, and hopeless struggles to keep our grades up. Your forgiveness we implore!


	9. To rid the world of tacky jewelry

A/N: This is compensation for three months of not posting. We will do better, even though Belinda is a dancing coffee cup in her school play, she will still find time to write. And me, starting tomorrow, I am reviewing for AP exam, but I will try to write too. For now, sit back and enjoy.

Chapter 9, BELINDA'S POV

"Amanda Nicolette Tailor!" I yelled, stepping into her bedroom. "You better not be doing what I think you're doing!" She looked up guiltily from where she stood by the window.

"What do you think I'm doing?" she asked, nervously wringing her hands. I glared at her, taking her suitcase away from her.

"I think you're going to run away, and I want to know why the hell you're going to do that to me."

"I'm a bad friend, I should have looked closer for your pain, you need someone who can be there for you all the time and look out for you." I sighed, she was feeling guilty again. I pointed at the bed, and she slowly sat down.

"Amanda, you need to stop blaming yourself for what happened. It was in no way your fault. I didn't want you to know, I tried to hide it from you. I was ashamed of the scars, the cuts, and the pain. You noticed before it was too late, and that is all that matters. And no matter what, you will always be my best-friend slash sister. Please don't leave." Amanda broke down in tears, throwing her arms around me. I smiled slightly as she finally let go of her heavy burden. Now if only I could get rid of mine. Opening up to people was still hard for me, talking about my feelings scared me. I still sometimes felt worthless, like I could never do good enough. Slowly though, Amanda was breaking me of that habit, and I was sure Legolas was about to join the list…

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"Belinda," I woke to someone standing over my bed. I jolted awake, ready to hit the dark figure. A hand grabbed my wrist and I could hear a laugh. A candle was lit and I could see Legolas standing over me. I blushed and dropped my arm, as he smiled at me.

"Do people usually attack you in your sleep?" he asked, taking a step back as I sat up and moved to the edge of the bed.

"A lot of people don't like me," I said with a shrug, "I guess that's what I get for being brutally honest with people." I stretched my arms, smiling as I moved my pillow. "Just be glad I forgot there was a knife under my pillow."

"Were you expecting an attack?" Legolas picked up the sheathed blade, giving me an odd look. I smiled slightly.

"It never hurts to be prepared." I said as I stood up, running a hand through my hair. "What time is it?"

"Almost time to leave. You have less than an hour to get ready." I gave him a mock glare. "Around midnight." He finished. I rolled my eyes.

"Why the hell do we have to leave in the middle of the night? I mean, honestly, we could leave in the morning… or afternoon even, and we would be more awake and alert. Don't you think that it is more obvious to leave in the middle of the night, it's like shouting 'hey, we're trying to be sneaky, watch us please.'" I quickly shut up when I realized I was rambling. Legolas smiled at me. "Whatever, I'll be ready in a few minutes."

"Do you want to go wake Amanda, or should I?" He asked, motioning towards her room.

"I'll do it. Most likely she'd yell a lot if a guy was in her room in the middle of the night." I grinned and headed for her room, "Tells you a lot about her sex life, huh?" I laughed lightly as his face turned red and I sauntered into Amanda's room. "Amanda, Amanda!" I called, as cheerfully as I could manage for just having got up a few minutes ago.

"Go 'way," she murmured, throwing a pillow in my general direction.

"Amanda, you failed your last exam." She ignored me. "Amanda, I'm pregnant!" She sat up real fast and stared at me.

"WHAT!" She screeched, staring at me. I laughed at the look on her face.

"I'm kidding. It's time to get up to head out on fun, important, very well could die a lot, mission thingy to kill evil piece of jewelry." She looked at me oddly.

"Oh no, you're in one of those moods. Forget the ring, you could drive Sauron himself crazy when you're like this… why the hell did anyone wake you up, you're always like this when you're sleep deprived…"I grinned and headed back to my room, leaving her to ramble on.

I dressed quickly, strapping on weapons that I had 'acquired' during my stay here. Some honestly, some not, but hey, that's life. If you don't want to lose your weapons, don't bet them against me in a drinking game, or any other kind of gambling for that matter. I smiled briefly, Amanda was right, when I don't sleep, I act a lot like I'm drunk, but it was fun, and mostly (to tell you the truth) all one big act. What can I say, I always wanted to be an actress when I grew up, and this was fun!

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One very important thing to know in life: at midnight, when you're hyperactive, and no one else is, it is the best time to be as insane as possible; it drives people nuts.

"So, is everyone ready to embark on the journey of utmost importance in the entire galactic universe: to rid the world of tacky jewelry?" I asked brightly, sliding down the banister of the stairs, my bags slung over my shoulder. I noticed that, while most of the company groaned, Frodo smiled. I think that was the first time he smiled since we got there. This fact, of course, led me to realize that everyone, especially Frodo, needed cheering up. I quickly ran my eyes over the group again.

Frodo was our ring bearer, who bore not only the ring, but also the fate of his world. Sam, who would die to protect Frodo and had a healthy paranoia to him. Paranoia is okay though, when the whole world IS out to get you. My eyes moved to the other two hobbits, Merry and Pippin, who were along because they spied on the meeting. I liked them; they could be great pranksters. Gimli was next in my analysis. He was a good fighter, a good drinker, and had a good, while interesting, sense of humor. Then there was Boromir. I didn't like him at all, and not only because I knew how the books went, but because he was so stiff, like someone had shoved a pole up his arse. Gandalf, I'll admit, was a mystery to me. He knew much more than he was telling, and wasn't planning to share with anyone. I got the feeling though, that he knew all about us, and why we were there. I smiled as my gaze met Legolas', and he smiled back. This was going to be an interesting trip.

Of course, just then, Elrond just _had _to come and make a speech about how the fate of the world rested on our shoulders, and that we were being depended on, and a whole lot of other stuff I didn't pay attention to. I was watching Frodo, who was slowly settling back into a cold mask. A mask I recognized all too well.

"AMEN, brother." I said with a grin as Elrond finished. Amanda, of course, was the only person who got that, and giggled. "If I may sum this up in a few, light words. The world will not survive long if we do not get rid of fake gold, imitation costume jewelry like this ring. Therefore, we must seek the purifying lava of a very hot volcano, and hope to god that they don't make jewelry like this fire proof." I bowed and stepped backwards, watching the corners of Frodo's mouth twitch. Boromir, however, wouldn't let my comments go that easily.

"What is wrong with you, girl? How can you make light a situation so serious?" He hissed, "The world is at stake." I smiled at him sweetly.

"I'm sure I mentioned that. Didn't I Frodo? And yes, everyone knows how important destroying jewelry is."

"She did add that at the beginning," Frodo said with a smile. I smiled back at him.

"See, Frodo understands how important this is. Think about how awful it would be if someone gave you an engagement ring like that! No jewels, you have to light it aflame to make it light up all pretty like, and it turns you invisible. Though it would make sex really interesting…"I trailed off as most of the company started laughing. Frodo laughed too, making my day seem a lot better. If he fell into depression, we, to put it lightly, were all screwed.

"Let's head out," Aragorn said, giving me a small smile that told me he knew what I was doing. Everyone began following him out, and I slipped back to walk with Legolas.

"Nicely done," he said softly, "At first I was a bit worried you were drunk, but it really was what Frodo, and all of us, needed." I blushed slightly.

"I am nowhere near this fun drunk. To be properly insane acting, you must be completely sober," I whispered back, blinking to focus as my eyes adjusted to the dark. He gave me a strange look, but nodded just the same. A bit louder I said with a smile "We ought to turn this into a musical: The Quest to Destroy Bad Taste in Jewelry, complete with sing along track." There were a few groans from the group, and Amanda turned around and gave me an evil glare.

"Belinda, shut the hell up." I looked at her, wide-eyed. Amanda didn't usually swear, so obviously she was in a bad mood. I made a face at her, and then quietly resigned myself to walking.

The night was dark, moonless, and in unfamiliar terrain, we all stumbled a little trying to follow the path. This is, with the exception of Legolas. He walked next to me, looking out around him, rather than the ground in front of him. I would have killed for vision like his, and the kind of grace that allowed him to walk without tripping. As it was, I could barely see the ground in front of me, let alone where we were going.

"Legolas," I hissed quietly. He turned and looked at me, and at my motion moved closer. "You realize that if we are attacked, we're all screwed, because I can't see a damn thing, and I doubt anyone else can," I kept my voice really low, trying not to alarm anyone else.

"I can see," he said softly. I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, but can you defend our entire group against an attack if it happens?" I stumbled, and almost fell over a tree root. Legolas caught me and pulled me to my feet again.

"If I have to. And besides, Gandalf could light up his staff so we all could see if we needed to." He moved away and started scanning the land around us again. I made a face at him. "And I saw that."

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"How many days are in a fortnight?" I asked Amanda as we made camp at daybreak. She shrugged as she unrolled her sleeping mat, giving a sharp glance to the small rock overhang that covered us.

"Why?" She asked, stretching out on the mat. I sighed and opened up my own mat.

"Because the book said that in a fortnight the company reached the place where the black crows fly over, and I'd like to know the right day to warn about that." Amanda looked at me with a smile.

"How many times have you read that book, that you remember small details like that?" I blushed.

"A lot," I muttered, looking away.

"Don't worry about it. You'll figure it out. I think it's something like two weeks or so." I sighed and looked out over the company.

"Do you think that us being here could change the plot? Like, something we say or do will alter the entire way things go?" I received no answer, and when I rolled over to look at Amanda, she was already asleep. I sighed and rolled back over, looking at the entry way to the small cave where we and the rest of the company lay. Legolas had first watch, and was sitting up by the entrance. I laid on my mat for a while, trying to fall asleep, then finally gave up and stood, walking to the entrance, and sitting next to Legolas. He looked over at me with a small frown.

"Having trouble sleeping?" he asked. I nodded, looking around at the land where we were.

"Well, it is bright outside," I said with a smile, trying to make light of my insomnia. Legolas looked at me sternly, and I looked away.

"You are going to need all the sleep you can get on this quest. You never know when the next time we can rest will be."

"I know," I said with a sigh. "Goddamnit, I know all too well. As a matter of fact, I know pretty much everything about this whole quest. I know everything that's going to happen, and I feel so powerless. I don't know if helping you all could alter this whole quest as I know it, or if my very existence here has already altered it. There are so many ways I could help, but each with its own price. I just don't know what to do." I sighed and rubbed my temples. "And I probably shouldn't have told you that either." Legolas reached over and pulled me into a hug.

"You need to do what you feel is right. I have no doubt that no matter what happens, we will overcome it. Maybe there was a reason you ended up here. Maybe this whole quest has already been changed from what you know, and you have been sent here to fix things." He stood and helped me to my feet. "All I know is that you need sleep. You are safe here." He gently pushed me towards my mat. "We can talk more about this later." I gave him a quick hug and a smile as I walked back to my mat and laid down. After a few minutes, I drifted off to sleep.

A/N: Just in case you were wondering, Belinda's chapters are longer because she is more of a LOTR junkie than I am. Also, I'm working on my own novel to get published and that is my main focus. I did promise her though that I would try to make my chapters longer, so we'll see.

We ask nothing else but mere reviews to keep us happy.


	10. Journey to the Mines

A/N: Ok, it would usually be Belinda doing an author's note for my chapter, but as I was about to post Ch.11 up, I realized we had not posted this chapter. That's really all I have to say. Enjoy!

Chapter 10:

When I awoke early the next morning, I saw Belinda sleeping peacefully beside me, for the first time in... ever, really. I looked over to see Legolas watching her intently, as if making sure that she would be alright. His eyes met mine and he turned away, embarrassed. I smirked at him as I began to roll up my mat again, trying not to wake up Belinda while contemplating about Legolas's behavior.

We set out before it got too light out. Belinda and I maintained our position in the back of the line, with Gandalf and Aragorn in the front of it. I looked around at my surroundings and thought how nice it would be to just stop, lay on the soft grass, and just let our thoughts wander aimlessly. But now was not the time. Surely we would have enough time when the Ring was destroyed, at least I hoped.

When we finally did stop, it was at a big pile of rocks. I couldn't remember what the place was named, but I knew it was called something and I didn't feel like asking Belinda and getting reprimanded for not remembering. Or rather, I didn't feel like getting my head bitten off.

I sat down on a nearby rock and watched as Boromir helped Merry and Pippin with their swordplay. I watched him with suspicion. I didn't like him; I knew what was going to happen to him, but yet, I still didn't like him. I knew that Belinda didn't like him all that much either, especially after that comment he made to her before we left Rivendell.

"Amanda, c'mon. Come fight with me," Belinda pleaded, sitting down next to me.

I rolled my eyes and turned to her with a somewhat serious look on my face. "But you're going to kick my ass!"

Belinda shrugged and said simply, "It's possible, it may not be. Have more confidence in yourself, Mango." I bit my lip. I wasn't going to fall into this trap. Nothing she said would make me.

"I'm not angry at you, Belinda. I can't fight you unless I'm angry," I stated, turning away from her.

"I burned your Destiny Calling notebooks," Belinda said suddenly.

I turned to her, with a very angry and intimidating look in my eyes. "YOU DID WHAT! Oh, you're dead now!" I cried out, reaching around for my sword.

"Yay!" Belinda exclaimed, happily, then stopped when she saw the deranged look in my eye.

I raised my sword, ready to slash at her when Belinda said, "Amanda, don't you remember that both opponents have to be ready before starting a fight. It's proper." I knew Belinda didn't believe any of that. She was just stalling to give herself some time. She thought that I would fall into the bait.

"Screw being proper! You burnt my notebooks!" I said, with my sword still raised.

"May I take the time to say that it was an accident and that I would never burn any of your... LEGOLAS! Help, she's trying to kill me!" Belinda cried out, beginning to make a run for it.

"Get back here, Belinda. You wanted a fight and now you're going to get one." I began to laugh manically as I ran after her. I finally caught up to her (for the very first time; she is fast!) and I grabbed her around the waist. We fell to the ground, me on top of Belinda. After about a moment, the two of us didn't move. Then, I began to laugh, feeling the anger just melting away.

"Why are you laughing? You aren't going to kill me?" Belinda asked, clutching her sword tightly in her right hand.

"You know that I was never one to be angry for too long. Besides, those notebooks were old, not of real importance. It was just funny to see you so scared," I said, pulling her up from the ground.

"You're damn right I was scared. No one ever wants to piss you off seriously, Amanda," she said, seriously.

"You know that I could never kill you, because if I did, elf-boy would kill me," I said, laughingly.

"His name is Legolas," she said, indignantly.

"I know it is. I'm not stupid," I defended.

"Belinda, are you alright?" We turned to see Legolas rushing towards us.

"I'm fine. Amanda and I were just...talking," Belinda said, quickly. Legolas shook his head.

"I don't believe that, Belinda, but as I can see that you aren't in danger, I'll let it go," he said, scanning Belinda for any sign of injury.

He then looked at me and I stared back. I knew what he was asking me. Did I tell her about earlier that morning? I gave a small shake of my head to indicate that I did not. But then I saw that he was not looking at me anymore. He had looked up at the sky and was staring attentively at it. I looked up at the sky as well and saw a big, black mass heading towards us. It was the birds, Saruman's spies.

Legolas grabbed Belinda and my arm and pushed us under the nearby brush.

"I could have done that myself, you know," Belinda whispered to Legolas, glaring at him. Legolas didn't have time to reply as he himself ducked under the brush as did the other Fellowship.

I closed my eyes as the black ravens passed over us, cawing madly to each other. I prayed that none of them had spotted us, even though I knew that some must have. When they finally passed, we all got out of our hiding places and looked at them flying away.

"Spies of Saruman. The road south is being watched. We must take the mountain pass," Gandalf stated, indicating with the head of his staff the nearby mountains.

"We get to go on the mountain. Maybe we can go skiing," Belinda said, excitedly.

I moaned. This was going to be a long trip.

* * *

"Whoever thought of the idea of having a pass in the mountains must have been a complete idiot," I mumbled to Belinda, wrapping my cloak around me like a coat.

"No, he just saw a good location for a future ski resort, because you have to admit, you could do a lot of skiing up here," Belinda said.

"I don't believe anyone here know what skiing is, Belinda," I stated, trying to suppress a shiver.

I continued walking on through the deep snow, trying to keep on telling myself to go on and not stop. "Amanda, look."

I looked up at Belinda's voice at Boromir, who was currently staring at the Ring that he held in his hand.

"Let's get him," she whispered to me, already moving to go ahead of the line.

"He'll give it back to Frodo," I reassured her.

"I know, but this would give me a good reason to beat the crap out of him," Belinda said, calmly.

I rolled my eyes again and sighed as I looked back at Boromir. His gaze caught onto mine and he stared deeply into my eyes. I looked at him with nothing but suspicion and he the same. I looked away at Aragorn who I saw had his grip on his sword and was staring at Boromir with that same look of suspicion.

As we continued our tedious journey, the sky that had once been clear blue was now blackening at an alarming rate. When we reached the rim of the mountain, where snow was coming down heavily, the sky could barely be seen.

I hung onto Belinda not because I was cold, but because I was afraid. Something was going to happen and I couldn't remember what it was. Obviously, Belinda knew, but didn't want to alarm me further.

Suddenly, I heard a shout from Gandalf. I could only catch the word 'Saruman' to jog my memory. He was going to bring down the mountain.

When I heard the mountain begin to crumble above us, Belinda grabbed me and pushed me underneath her. I never thought large pieces of mountain falling onto us would make such a loud noise, but I could hardly hear my own scream as the mountain came tumbling down.

When it finally ended, I felt Belinda pulling me up and setting me down on my feet. I smiled at her in gratitude as the others dug themselves out from the snow.

"Gandalf, we have to get out of here! This will be the death of the hobbits!" Boromir cried out.

"It'll be the death of us too," Belinda called out.

Boromir sent her a glare before continuing. "We need to make for the gap of Rohan," he continued on.

"The gap of Rohan takes us too close to Isengard," Aragorn argued.

"Let's go under, then. Let us go through the mines of Moria," Gimli put in.

I looked over at Belinda. "Do you think that we should tell them about what happens in the mines?"

"Of course we should. In fact, let's just tell them everything that happens in the book and to not worry one bit," Belinda said, sarcastically.

"Now is not the time for sarcasm, Belinda. Give me your honest opinion this time," I said, seriously. Belinda frowned at me.

"This was what I tried to ask you yesterday, but you fell asleep," Belinda glared at me.

"What, when?" I asked in confusion.

"Last night, but that's not important right now. I'll kill you later." I nodded.

"Thanks, Belinda. But should we tell them? At least tell Gandalf?" Belinda snorted.

"Knowing Gandalf, he probably already knows. What I'm more concerned about is now that we're here, will **_we_** change something?" _Great, something else that I need to worry about now._

"Thanks Belinda, I feel so much better," I said, sarcastically.

* * *

Belinda and I had reached a silent agreement. We wouldn't tell them anything because this had to happen. If we told them, things might change that may have horrible effects on the outcome of the war. We had seen enough sci-fi movies to know what happens when people mess with time.

It took us until close to dark until we got to the door of the mines. During the time, I walked with Aragorn while Belinda walked with Legolas.

"You seem very quiet, Amanda," Aragorn murmured to me.

"Do I? I hadn't noticed," I said just as quietly.

"How are you doing?" _If I answered that in full, this could take awhile._

"I'm fine, just a little tired, is all." It was true. I was tired. Looking back at Belinda and Legolas, I could tell Belinda looked tired too.

When we finally reached the door, I sat down on a nearby log and tried to keep myself from falling asleep as Gandalf attempted to open the door.

Belinda sent me a look saying, "Let's at least speed this up."

Belinda began to step up to the door, but Boromir stopped her from going any farther.

"Where do you think you're going?" Belinda looked confused for about a second before saying slowly, "Up to the door."

"Gandalf is working on getting it open. He doesn't need you to break his concentration," Boromir shot at her.

"Great job he's doing too," Belinda shot back, once again going up to the door.

Belinda stepped up and ignoring the fact that Gandalf and the rest of the Fellowship was staring at her, she said in a clear and loud voice, "Mellon." Then the door miraculously sprang open, its huge doors spread as widely as a bird's wings.

Everyone just stared at awe as she stood there, with a smirk on her face. I smiled.

"You're good, Belinda," I stated. She nodded vigorously.

"I know," she said, simply.

Boromir finally got over the shock and said angrily, "What else do you keep from us, **_miss_**?" I didn't fall to notice the sarcasm when he had said 'miss'. I looked back over at Belinda, who just stared calmly at Boromir.

"Many things, sir. Many things that can be found out very easily. All I need is a bed and some alcohol." My eyes widened and I rubbed my temples.

Boromir, on the other hand, got somewhat red in the face, but said nothing else. I noticed that Legolas and Aragorn were struggling not to laugh.

"Come on," I said, rushing over to grab her arm and go through the doorway. The others cautiously trailed behind us.

As the light from Gandalf's staff, the floor below us was more clearly seen and I nearly jumped into Belinda's arms when I saw what was in front of me. There were bones and broken arrows on the floor.

I'm not good with anything relating to dead bodies. So seeing all these bones made me panic and I began to hyperventilate and run around in circles.

"Be quiet!" Boromir hissed at me, lunging at me to stop running and screaming. Unfortunately, he knocked me into the stone wall which caused part of the wall to come crashing down.

Before we knew it, the doorway was blocked and everyone was staring at Boromir and me. To make the situation even better, Belinda exclaimed, "No one can say it was my fault this time!"

A/N: Usually you would have to wait for an update, but you lucky readers/reviewers will get two chapters in one day! Isn't it wonderful? Anyways, read, review, all that jazz.

Amanda a.k.a A.N.L


	11. Many a Dead Body & Questions of Skiing

A/N: I apologize for the delay of this chapter, but Belinda hadn't gotten around to typing it for awhile. I can safely say that the delay this time was not my fault :) Anyways, enjoy!

Chapter 11 BELINDA'S POV

Well, the whole idea of not interfering just went out the window. Obviously, by just existing in this world, we were making changes, and I was not about to just sit back and do nothing while this world went to hell. I looked over to Amanda, who was scooting away from the collapsed door, and several dead bodies. Apparently, this was one thing she couldn't handle well.

"Amanda, you are going to be fine." I told her firmly, taking her hands and pulling her up, then putting my arm around her shoulders. She shuddered, no doubt still remembering the death of her grandmothers. I pulled her around so that she was looking me straight in the eye. "You need to be fine right now. If you want to freak later, that's fine, but you need to shove the feelings away for now." This wasn't the best advice I could give her, but it was all I could do, trapped in a mine.

"Thanks, I'll be fine. It just was a bit of a shock." I watched as she shook off the feelings the best she could, and slowly calmed herself. The others in our group were none too happy about the dead bodies, but none of them had reacted as violently as Amanda had.

"Alright, mon capitan," I mock-saluted Gandalf, "Since you're in charge here, why don't you lead us to where we need to go." Frodo gave me an odd look.

"You aren't even bothered by the bodies, are you?" I shrugged, looking around at the bones.

"I'm sorry they died, I wish we had time to give them a decent funeral, and they don't really help the décor of the dark, creepy cave, but I can't save them and I can't bring them back." Amanda gave me a knowing look, as she knew that no matter how much they bothered me, I wasn't going to show it. When I looked at Legolas, he had the same look on his face, only with a little more worry on it. When did he learn to read me that well? Or was it just really obvious? I shook my head slightly and then looked to Gandalf. "I suggest we get a move on. You," I pointed at Pippin, "Don't touch _anything,_ and don't go by any wells, okay?" He nodded. "On second thought, that goes for everyone else too. We don't need to go asking for trouble."

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We finally took a break in the tunnels at the point where it branched off into three other tunnels. I sat wearily; tired of walking in almost pitch-dark caves and breathing dry dusty air. Amanda came to sit next to me.

"I thought we weren't going to interfere." She said accusingly. I sighed.

"We already have. I will not let people die or be injured if I can prevent it, since we have already interfered." I said firmly, then sighed again, and leaned backwards. "I am starting to slightly regret signing up for this quest. My back is killing me, I'm tired of walking, we sleep on rocks," I kept my voice low, "It's worse than Girl Scout camp." I jumped as Legolas sat down beside me and smiled innocently at him. I had forgotten how quietly he could move.

"Worse than what?" he asked curiously, looking at me.

"Girl Scout camp. Two straight weeks of nothing but pure torture…hiking, swimming, creeking, backpacking, crafts…" I trailed off, "They are all fine in moderation, but two straight weeks of it is a bit much. Kind of like this."

"It'll get better after we get out of here, out of the underground." I couldn't help but notice his small shudder.

"You have something against being underground?" I asked, looking straight into his eyes.

"Elves do not like caves, or being underground. We live in trees, with nature." I smiled at his formal reply.

"So you wouldn't have anything personal against caves?" I watched his eyes and noticed a small flicker of some emotion I could not read.

"No. What would give you that idea?" I moved closer to him and said simply.

"Something in your eyes." I turned away then, signifying the end of the conversation, deciding to bring it up at some other time, when he might be more comfortable with the subject.

"Belinda," I turned back to him, "What's skiing?" With a laugh, I began to explain the wonderful sport of flying down mountains on two pieces of wood and two sticks…

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"And people from where you come from do this… for fun?" Legolas was incredulous. The rest of the Fellowship, with the exception of Gandalf, who was smoking, and Boromir, who just hated me because I was female, was also crowded around me.

"But it is fun!" I protested… for about the fifteenth time.

"And you've actually done this?" I smiled.

"Of course I have. I go skiing every winter, and I'm really good at it. Aren't I Amanda?" Manda sent me a baleful glare.

"Perhaps. I'm much better though." I mock gasped and glared right back.

"You are not! You might be as good as I am, but definitely not better." She rolled her eyes, but did not respond. "Tell you what… after we destroy the ring and save the world, I will take you all skiing, and I guarantee that you will never forget it."

"You can say that again." Legolas muttered sarcastically. I whacked him lightly.

"Just for that, you're not invited." I informed him, turning my back to him, arms crossed across my chest in mock hurt.

"I'm sorry. Can I please come?" I glanced back at him, but soon realized I could not even pretend to be mad if I was looking at him. So, I quickly turned my back again.

"Absolutely not. You insulted skiing. I will not allow you to continue to insult the sport by tagging along on our excursion." I barely concealed a smile as he moved around to look at me.

"Please, Belinda? I promise I won't ever insult it again." This time I could not conceal the smile that crept across my face.

"Little trickster," He growled, grabbing me and tickling me. I gasped, curling into a ball.

"Okay, okay, I give up. You can come, you can come, just STOP TICKLING ME!" Legolas finally stopped, and as we caught our breaths, we realized what kind of an awkward position we were in. I had fallen on him, and we were now sprawled across the ground, legs entangled, clothes in disarray. "Umm, well this isn't awkward or anything…" I said with a nervous laugh, pulling back from him.

"Actually, it did look sort of awkward," Amanda added, always the helpful one. I glared at her, pushing my hair back away from my face.

"You know, just because you do not understand the subtle art that is sarcasm," I hissed, fully ready to rant at her. Ranting at her was better than looking at Legolas and being embarrassed all over again. But I was cut off, mid rant, by Gandalf.

"Aha! It is this way," he said, pointing.

"Perhaps it would be better if we stayed here for the night." Aragorn suggested. He had a way of making his simple suggestions seem like orders. I wondered if he knew he did it, or if it was just instinctive. "The hobbits are sure to be tired after our long walks, and I'm sure the women are as well." He would have been glared at for the insinuation that we would be more tired than the men, but as it was, I really couldn't bring myself to give him a real glare. I _was_ tired, and at least I was now being referred to as 'woman' not 'child' or 'girl'. I decided to ignore it for now.

"Yes I believe it might be." Gandalf replied, sitting back down again. I sighed in relief and flopped down on the ground, shrugging off my backpack.

"Tired?" Legolas asked with a small smile. I nodded wordlessly, rubbing the back of my neck. Amanda began to set her bedroll up next to me.

We were in a small cavern off of the other caves. It thankfully did not have any skeletons in it. I had had enough of seeing dead people for one day. And I was definitely not used to walking this much, and for this many days at a time. I bent backwards, digging my knuckles into my spine, and heard my back crack. A really bad habit of mine. Some people crack their knuckles, I can crack my back.

"Don't do that," Legolas said with a wince. I smiled sheepishly at him.

"It's a bad habit that I have. Whenever my back hurts, I do it."

"She also cracks her knuckles when she's nervous," Amanda added from where she was lying down on her bedroll. I gave her The Look (this would be the I know where you live, sleep, and I will find you and kill you. It was a look that I had perfected). "What? You do!" she protested. I sighed and began to unroll my own bedroll.

"Are you going to be okay sleeping in a cave?" I asked Legolas, who I was sure had a personal aversion to caves. He shrugged.

"I'll be fine. I don't like it, but I'll be fine." I nodded. Life gives you a deck of cards and you learn how to deal; it was always my philosophy in life.

"Look at it this way, we should be out soon," I said cheerfully, "And hopefully not sleeping on rocks any more." He nodded, and then moved away to set up his stuff a little ways away. I closed my eyes and focused on pushing all the death I had seen today away, far back into my consciousness.

I laid awake for a long time, my eyes closed, listening to the sounds around me. Amanda laid awake for awhile too, I could tell by her breathing. She was probably thinking of her grandmother who had died. Finally, either exhaustion claimed her, or she made her peace, and her breathing slowed and became regular. I laid there for some time; feigning sleep until, at last, sleep did claim me.

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I awoke some time later to the sounds of murmuring voices. I looked around, and soon found Gandalf and Frodo talking. Not wishing to eavesdrop on them, I tuned them out and looked around me. Aragorn was awake and on watch, looking out into the other caves with one hand on his sword. I wasn't too worried; he always had a hand on his sword when on watch. All the others seemed to be asleep, with the exception of Legolas. I could never tell with Legolas. Apparently, part of being an elf is sleeping with your eyes open. I never could tell whether he was awake and staring at a wall or asleep. It always bothered me.

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The next time I awoke, the camp was beginning to wake and get around. Breakfast was being made, and people were packing. I sat up and looked over at Amanda. She was still fast asleep, so I poked her.

"Go 'way," she muttered, hitting at my hand. I shrugged.

"Okay, I guess we'll just leave you here in this dusty cave while you finish getting your beauty sleep," I smiled. She sat up and glared at me.

"You wouldn't dare," she told me, but began to get up and around anyways. I rolled up my bedroll and attached it to the top of my backpack.

We all got up, ate, packed, and then hit the road again.

"I think I've decided I hate caves," I muttered to Legolas. He laughed quietly as we walked through more caves.

"I'm sure I hate them more than you do."

"Yes, but you are taller than I am." He stared at me, quite befuddled.

"What does that have to do with anything?" I smiled at him.

"Everything." Amanda, the ever helpful, decided to explain it to him.

"She hates people being taller than her. So, if you are, and something goes wrong, it is obviously because you have committed the dreadful sin of being taller than her." I glared at her.

"Since when have you felt the need to explain everything? It is more fun when they are confused. And you know you are just jealous, since you're shorter than me." I replied, gesturing with my hand at around hobbit height.

"I am not that short! I am only two inches shorter than you are! I'm 5'5."

"Whatever."

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A/N: It's true, I'm shorter than her! I'm older than her and yet, I'm still shorter than her. Hopefully next update won't take as long, but it's my turn now and I still have to work on my Horcruxes story –cough...read...cough-. Now that I am done with my subliminal message, read, review, all that fun stuff.

Amanda a.k.a A.N.L


	12. Maybe if You Had Warned Me

A/N: Here we go again, updating with two chapters at the same time. Oh well, enjoy!

Chapter 12:

Maybe If You Had Warned Me...

So we continued on with our journey, which was a very arduous one. I was agreeing with Belinda on this one. My arches were killing me and I was always the one who was lagging behind because of them. Because I, like some people out there, have a severe collapsing arch problem. Belinda would help support me sometimes, but even I could the strain it took out on her.

As we went through our unremitting routine of walking, eating, walking, and sleeping, we luckily encountered no other dead bodies or bones of any kind, which really helped me emotionally. I did not think that I could deal with that on top of everything else.

From time to time, I could see Aragorn look back at me from time to time as if to make sure I was alright. I would smile at him in reassurance and he would face forward again. Just as Belinda said, he was almost like the father of the fellowship, watching out for us younger ones... or shorter ones, in the case of the Hobbits.

Everything was pretty uneventful. Until we got to the tomb of Gimli's cousin.

I took one look at the skeleton near the tomb and had to clutch onto Belinda for support.

"It is okay, Amanda. Just take a deep breath. Pretend you are near the ocean. You can hear the rippling of the waves," Belinda said soothingly. I took a deep breath and tried to stop my trembling. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Boromir roll his eyes in irritation.

"Do you have something you want to say to me?" I asked violently, strolling over to Boromir with a look on my face that clearly said that I was about ready to kill him. Most people ran pretty fast when I had that look on my face. Even Belinda, as you saw.

Unfortunately and foolishly, Boromir did not.

"I just find it highly irritating that you react this way every time you see a skeleton. Are you so much of a weakling, girl? Even your friend is stronger than you." I just stood, with lips pursed, my cheeks turning red, my hands clenched into fists, and trembling in rage. If that...man said one more word, I would kill him, mission or no mission.

Belinda, instead of picking up the fight with Boromir, tried to console me.

"Amanda, calm down. Don't listen to him, he's just being a bastard because he knows that you are stronger than him," Belinda whispered into my ear, but I was behind consolation.

"How dare you call me weak?! It's not my fault that I react badly to anything relating to the dead. It's not my fault that my grandmother died and I saw her body in that coffin. It's not my fault!" I screamed out.

Boromir, instead of being touched like the other Fellowship looked to be, just sneered at me. "Is that all? It is just because your **_grandmother_** died? You really are weaker than I thought."

And that was what set me off.

With a scream of rage, I threw myself upon him and knocked him down on the ground. I then proceeded to beat the living crap out of him. He could insult me, but not Mom-Mom. Not her. Nor my grandma for that matter.

At that point, Belinda, Aragorn, and Frodo were trying to pull me off of Boromir, but I was able to resist all three of them. As blood began to pour from Boromir's face, I began to cry. But those were not tears of sadness; they were tears of pain and anguish. Everything was coming back to me. I was ashamed of myself. Mom-Mom would never have encouraged this kind of behavior. She had always been so proud of my sweet-disposition. What would she have said now? She would have been so disappointed in me.

With a sob, I stopped punching Boromir and got off him. Belinda was coming near me and so was the rest of the Fellowship, but I couldn't handle this. Not with everyone here.

I was so side-tracked about keeping them away from me that I could not tell where I was going and I bumped into the well. Yes, the well with the skeleton. And just like Pippin, I caused the skeleton to fall into the well and crash hundreds of feet below.

I knew Belinda didn't have the heart to be mad at me that point, but if she had, she would have been fixing me with a nice glare.

"Look what you have done, foolish child," Boromir claimed, wiping the blood from his face.

"What I've done?! Everything was fine until you decided to insult me!"

"Yes, well, I did not think that you would proceed to try and kill me!"

"Not kill. Severely injure, yes, but not to kill."

"You little..."

But Boromir had trailed off. We all looked at him in puzzlement before we heard it.

Faint drum beats.

I looked down at Frodo's sword to see that it was glowing blue.

"Orcs!" Legolas cried out.

_Thanks for sharing, elf-boy._

I pulled my sword out of my sheath and tried to prepare myself for this fight. I could see the other members of the Fellowship looking at me strangely.

"What are you looking at? Haven't you ever seen a sword before? Or are you just waiting for the grass to grow. Come on, people!" Apparently, that broke their daze and everyone began to prepare themselves. Aragorn and Legolas closed the door, but not before Boromir almost got hit by two arrows. Personally, I would not have been sad if they had hit him and he died a slow and painful death.

_Remember Mom-Mom, remember Mom-Mom. _

I tried to remember her, for I knew that she would not have wanted me to wish for his death, no matter how much he truly deserved it.

Aragorn, Legolas, and Boromir stood ready at the door, waiting for the first sign of this attack. Belinda stayed with me, while Gandalf stood in front of the hobbits.

"Promise me that you won't do anything stupid?" I asked Belinda, my old-self beginning to come back. Belinda smiled weakly at me.

"As long as you promise me that you won't." I nodded in agreement.

"I won't."

I gripped my sword tighter as I heard the first signs of the door beginning to break apart. I watched as Aragorn and Legolas shoot two arrows each and heard an orc squeal in pain.

Then the door gave way to a flow of orcs.

This was the first time that Belinda and I had ever experienced a real live battle. We had only read about them and watched them in the movies. They would enfold in our minds and see the different formations, the different weaponry, and the different people, fighting for a single purpose.

It is one thing to see it, another to experience it.

When you first get into battle, you get an impulse-driven feeling, the kind that Belinda has all the time. Unfortunately, for people like me, that drive only lasts for so long. About five or ten minutes into it, I was already worn out.

I was really beginning to regret going on this quest.

And it would have been fine if there had just been orcs, but no, they had to bring in the cave troll.

As I kept on dealing with orcs, Belinda tried to assist Legolas in defeating the troll. Meaning, she did something foolish. I took one look at where she was and screamed her name out.

Belinda looked at me, but that moment's lack of concentration cost her. The troll managed to push her into a nearby wall, therefore knocking her out.

I stared wide-eyed at the spot where she had fallen and then turned my attention on the troll.

It was my turn to break my promise.

I rushed over to Legolas and told him to look after Belinda. He looked at me for a moment before going to look after Belinda. I then turned my attention onto the troll.

I grabbed my sword and manage to climb up onto his back. Don't ask me how, that moment is kind of daze to me.

I clutched my sword with both hands and leaned down towards his neck. But he realized what I was doing and tried to toss me off his back. I clutched him around the base of his neck with one arm while I put my sword through it with the other.

I knew that once would not be enough, so I repeated this action while trying to avoid his searching arms. But with enough strikes from my sword and with some help from Aragorn, the troll eventually collapsed onto the stone floor.

I hurriedly put my sword back in my sheath, ignoring the scratches on my face, ignoring Aragorn's questions of concern. All I was concerned about was the woman in Legolas's arms.

A/N: What else can I say except R&R?


	13. The Balrog

A/N: Once again, enjoy!

Chapter 13 BELINDA'S POV

Let me tell you one thing. Battles, no matter how cool and impressive they look in the movies, suck. There's no glory, no audience cheering for you, no way to say, oh, she won't die, she's the main character. In a real battle, there are no guarantees. And this, this scared me beyond all reason. Many people who know me would describe me as the bravest person they know. The truth is, I'm just too stupid to admit to anyone (including myself) that I am afraid.

So yes, I was terrified when I tried to distract the troll so that Legolas could kill it, terrified when Amanda screamed by name with fear in her voice, and petrified when I saw its club-like hand flying at me.

The first thing I saw after that was Legolas' face above me. I looked up at him as he hurried through the darkened halls of Mordor.

"I am capable of walking, I hope you know," I said stiffly, shaking my head to clear it. Legolas looked down at me with a small smile.

"Glad to see you are awake. No, you won't be walking. You just got hit on the head, and with your luck you'd walk off a cliff." I stuck my tongue at him, but looked around. We were currently running along the path that led to the bridge which I had fondly nicknamed the bridge of doom after one too many times watching Fellowship of The Rings.

"And you running while carrying me is a better idea?" I asked sarcastically. "I'm not a light person, and we all need to be moving fast."

"I barely notice your weight." I snorted and looked up at him incredulously. "It's an elf thing, and I'm not putting you down yet." I sighed and looked at the others in our group. The hobbits and Amanda were keeping up, assumedly running on Adrenaline. Hopefully, we only had a little further to go.

In what seemed like no time, we were at the bridge, with a Balrog hot on our tail. The movie special effects were nothing like the terror that was the Balrog. I even like fire, and was completely disturbed by this flame-wielding being. Perhaps it was the fact that my life was in danger.

"I must hold the narrow way. Fly!" Gandalf cried, pushing us toward the bridge. Aragorn and Boromir tried to hang back, but Legolas immediately began to cross.

"Hold on," I said softly, fighting to get down. Legolas gently set me on the ground. I swayed briefly, then walked to Aragorn. "This needs to happen. Continue across the bridge." I told him with a glare. I walked to Gandalf and whispered softly in his ear, "I will see you when you return." I smiled at him, and then rushed with the two men across the bridge. On the other side, we watched as Gandalf fought with the hell-borne creature. As the bridge fell, I watched calmly as Gandalf slipped down.

"Fly, you fools," he hissed, before falling into the abyss. I turned away and had to steady myself as the cave swam before my eyes. Legolas picked me up again as the Fellowship minus one escaped from the Mines of Moria.

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"You knew what was to happen, girl." Boromir spat at me after we had made our way out into the sunlight.

"I did," I said softly, hearing gasps from many of the Fellowship members.

"Then why did you let him fall?" he shouted at me, and I flinched away.

"It had to happen. There was nothing I could do to stop it, AND, if I had," I was shouting by this point, "You would probably lose your goddamn war and fail in the quest to destroy the ring. This had to happen." I snapped, my voice lowering to a whisper. "This had to happen." I closed my eyes briefly before pulling away from a shocked Legolas and retreating to a hill not too far away.

Ignoring the people behind me, and the fact that they were probably considering lynching me right the and there, I began assessing my injuries. Head, a little bruised, a few scratches on my arms, nothing new to me. Other than that, I had managed to escape remarkably unscathed.

"We need to move out," I started and looked up at Aragorn. "These hills will be swarming with Orcs before nightfall." I nodded.

"Sure you don't want to just leave me behind so they'll kill me?" I asked bitterly with a small laugh.

"I am saddened by Gandalf's passing, but if you say it will turn for the better, I must believe you." I smiled slightly at him.

"Glad to know someone believes in me. The others?" I asked, not really sure I wanted the answer.

"Boromir had convinced most of the others that you are at fault. Once they recover from their grief…" he trailed off

"Legolas as well?" Aragorn winced, but did not answer. I closed my eyes and held back a few tears.

"Let's get moving. I wouldn't want to get anyone else killed." I finally said, pulling myself together and moving toward the company. I walked to Amanda, who gave me a small smile, but I could not bring myself to return it.

"Murderer," Boromir hissed under his breath at me. I winced and turned away, following Aragorn.

"Belinda, it wasn't.." Amanda began.

"I know, Amanda. I know." We continued in silence into the woods of Lothlórien. I only tried to meet Legolas' eyes once, and was met with a glare of so much loathing that I turned away in shame. This had to happen, why couldn't they understand? Gandalf the grey had to die so that he could come back as Gandalf the white, and save everyone in the last battles. I was so deep in thought that I only noticed my surroundings when an arrow was stuck in my face. I looked up at the elf holding the bow and growled at him.

"You could kill her," Boromir suggested to the surprised elf, "Save us all a bit of trouble." I turned around and decked him, my best uppercut. Once he was on the ground, I towered over him.

"Leave me the fuck alone! You don't have to like my choice, you don't have to like me, just leave me the hell alone! You have no idea how hard this already is for me without you making it harder! You think I enjoy knowing what is going to happen, or that I enjoy watching people plummet over cliffs? Do you? I will tell you right here, I don't, okay. I have enough self-recrimination and hate without your help! Think whatever you bloody feel like, just leave me alone." I turned away from him, letting hot tears roll down my face.

Legolas and the elves had some form of conversation as I sat on the forest floor and calmed myself. By the time we were moving again, I had pulled myself together, and I was pretty sure none but one of the Lothlórien elves had seen me crying. As we walked along I glared at the ground and muttered to myself.

"Why do things like this always happen to me?" I muttered to no one in particular, "I swear my whole life is just one huge goddamn soap opera, and the writers just can't bring themselves to kill off my character. It's we'll transport her to another world and make everyone there hate her. Oh, let's make sure she knows the future of this world! Oh, and let's throw in a few Orcs, a Balrog, goblins, elves, a homicidal maniac. Shake and serve cold, and voila! Belinda's life." By the end, I was ranting and getting some odd looks, so I shut up and followed quietly.

I remained quiet through the walk, the climb, and my cold introduction to Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn. It was not until Galadriel spoke that I dared say anything.

"Here there are only ten, eleven were set out. Gandalf the Grey set out with this company, but he did not pass the borders of this land. Now tell us where he is, for I much desire to speak with him." She looked searchingly out at us, but as her eyes met mine, she gave me a small encouraging smile.

"He has fallen, my Lady," I said, as the others looked away. "He met his destiny in a fight with the Balrog of Moria."

"How did this come to be?" Asked Celeborn in disbelief. Aragorn stepped forward and told the full story to them as I slipped backwards, to the shadows of the hall. Aragorn skipped the part where I admitted my foreknowledge, but Boromir was not nearly as kind, interrupting Aragorn to speak.

"This witch, who has the gift of sight, knew he would fall and let him go, telling us it was for the better," he announced. I slid back against a wall, watching Amanda, who looked like she was about to kill Boromir.

"That will be quite enough," Galadriel interrupted Boromir, her voice cool. I quickly remembered that she was the one who could see the future before I was beckoned forward by her. "The gift of the Sight is not only hard to control, but it is also a burden that those who carry it suffer from their entire life." She took my chin in her hand and looked into my eyes. After a second, she looked away. "We will talk more later. For now, rest in our sanctuary. Your wounds will be healed, and we will speak more tomorrow." Dismissed, the fellowship followed one of the elves that had led us here out of the hall and down the stairs, Amanda and I at the back.

"She knows," I told Amanda, "And she accepts. I just wish the others would too."

"Maybe if you told them everything…"

"That's just the thing. I can't tell them everything. If they know what will happen, they will continuously try to change things, until we get to an event line where I can't help at all. Besides, aren't true friends just supposed to trust you?" I sighed bitterly.

"I trust you," Amanda replied, "I trust you with my life. If I didn't, I wouldn't be here."

"Thanks, Amanda. I guess it just hurts when you start trusting someone, and then they turn from you without even hearing your side of the story." I raised my voice slightly so that Legolas could hear me.

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Late that night as we sat under the trees, I could hear music playing and voices raised in song. I sat by the tent I shared with Amanda, looking over at Legolas. Feeling my eyes on him, he looked over, then quickly away. I blinked back a tear, then stood, and walked to his side.

"Answer me this at least. Do you hate me?" I asked him quietly. He didn't look up at me as he spoke.

"You let him fall. You knew he would and you let him go. How can I feel otherwise?" he said in a quiet voice that spoke of conflicting emotions.

"Do you remember a conversation we had not too long ago? I told you that I was afraid, that I felt powerless. You told me to do what felt right and that we would overcome any obstacle. I did what I felt had to be done, and what I feared would happen did. The only ones of you who can look me in the face now are Amanda and Aragorn," I exhaled sharply, and then looked away in the silence that followed. "I'm sorry you feel like that. I won't bother you again." I walked away quickly, returning to my tent and laying down to sleep, trying not to feel incredibly guilty.

A/N: Once again, R&R


	14. The Balrog or Amanda's Resolve

A/N: Sorry for lack of updating. We were both attacked by mutant alien clones. (Actually, real life has just been pounding us with school, but the first explanation seemed more exciting)

Chapter 14:

The Balrog (Amanda's Resolve)

Running. That was all that crossed my mind at that point. Belinda was safe in Legolas's arms, albeit, she was being very difficult with him about not letting her walk. This was not the part I was looking forward to. Both Belinda and I knew that this was going to happen, but it didn't make it any easier on us.

I could see the narrow bridge in front of us, which Belinda had fondly nicknamed the Bridge of Doom (secretly I agreed with the nickname, but I would not admit to that in any way, shape or form). Gandalf kept on rushing us to the other side of the bridge. I tried not to look behind at the fearsome Balrog, but ultimately, I had to watch as Gandalf confronted it.

Movie special effects did not even do it justice. I could see Belinda even looked unnerved about it and she is a pyromaniac! My eyes widened as Gandalf was pulled down by the Balrog and hanging on for his life.

"Fly, you fools." Frodo screamed out in anguish as Gandalf fell down into the darkness, to an apparent death. Belinda and I knew better. We knew that he would come back as Gandalf the White. It did not make it any easier on us to bare that knowledge, however.

When we reached the sunlight, Belinda foolishly admitted that she knew that Gandalf would fall. Everyone, save Aragon (bless him), blamed Belinda for what happened. I glared at Boromir as he was the one stirring up the most trouble.

"Why does Boromir hate Belinda so much?" I asked Aragorn as we were traveling through an old forest that I could not remember the name of.

"He was raised by a man who taught him that women need to know their place. Belinda and even you are far from traditional women," Aragorn explained to me. I looked up at Belinda and could see that she was starting to fall apart.

"I would do anything to help her," I whispered.

Belinda lost it when we were captured by the Lothlórien and decked Boromir right in the face. If the situation was not so serious, I would have laughed at him for being hit by two girls in one day.

We were taken to Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn, and unlike the majority of our companions, they understood what had to be done.

I stayed behind and talked with Aragorn before joining Belinda. As I was heading towards our tent, I overheard Belinda talking to Legolas. He seemed averse to forgiving Belinda, and in that moment, I got really pissed off. I watched Belinda deal with our companion's all day and I would not take it anymore. This elf would not know what hit him when I was through with him. I waited until Belinda fell asleep to act.

"Elf, I need to talk to you, right now!" I rushed over to him and dragged him away from Belinda's tent, not wanting her to wake.

"What are you doing?" he asked indignantly. I reached up and slapped him right across the face.

"You, shut up and listen. I have put up with you all giving Belinda a hard time about this and I will not take it anymore. We both knew this was going to happen, and don't you dare ask me how! Gandalf will come as Gandalf the White, who by the way, is more powerful than Gandalf the Grey! Stop being a complete ass and apologize to Belinda right now or so help me God, I will hesitate to grab Aragorn's sword and castrate you!" I ranted. By the end, my face was bright red and my arms were waving around in the air. I'm sure I looked like a complete lunatic, but I did not care at this point.

Legolas looked shocked to say the least. "But, she..." I rolled my eyes.

"She loves you, isn't it obvious? You're hurting her more than I can say. If you love her too and trust her, accept the fact that she let this happen and move on. Oh, by the way, what did Boromir say to you about her?" I asked, planning to move on to our little friend after I finished with Legolas. Legolas's silence told me everything I needed to.

"Well, now that I have made you feel extremely guilty, I am going to leave to talk to a certain male. Now, I better see you groveling and begging for forgiveness when I get back because if I don't, I will be grabbing someone's sword. Whether I castrate you or just cut off your arm is undecided. Either way, there will be pain. Now go!" I ordered harshly, pointing up to Belinda's tent. Legolas scurried away like a little girl.

I smiled. I finally understood why Belinda intimidated people. This was fun. Now time to move on to our dear Gondor friend...

A/N: R&R, with a cherry on top of those double chocolate desserts that Belinda likes -ANL-


	15. Apologies Once More

A/N: Once again, two updates in one day, but that is the only way we can update for now. Sorry loyal readers.

Chapter 15- Belinda's POV

I went to bed that night shaking. From anger, from fear, from total inconsolable sadness. Thing like this always seemed to happen to me. I couldn't trust anyone, because everyone always let me down. For a long time I just lay in bed with my face pressed to my makeshift pillow to conceal my tears. I ran through an old but familiar mantra in my head: I was worthless, I didn't deserve anyone, I only hurt people, and everyone would be better off without me. I knew it wasn't true, but recently I hadn't found much proof otherwise. After a few hours of me lying in the darkened tent, I heard a rustle as the tent flap opened.

"Amanda?" I asked quietly, trying to sound as normal as possible.

"Actually, it's Legolas," I let silence fill the tent for a few seconds before finally asking,

"What do you want? Come to destroy me some more?" I choked back a small sob, "Haven't I suffered enough?" My voice had hardened considerably as I asked this, and I turned away from him, toward the tent wall

"Belinda, I… I'm sorry." I heard him exhale heavily, then sit down on the ground behind my back. "Sorry that I listened to Boromir, sorry I didn't try to hear your side first, sorry that I didn't see how much this was hurting you." He lit the lantern, illuminating the tent.

"It's understandable. After all, you have known Gandalf longer than me. I just…I just thought that maybe you trusted me more than that. Or at least knew me well enough to know that I would never let a good man truly die while I just stood by. He's a bloody wizard, for God's sake! They don't go down so easily! And don't ever believe that someone's dead until you see the body!" I began to sob as I ranted, choking on the words I spoke.

"What have I done to you?" Legolas asked softly, drawing back slightly, his clothes rustling. "I didn't bother to ask, I just assumed. I was wrong, I was very wrong. I understand if you are mad at me…"

"Mad at you?" I hiccupped, turning toward him finally. "And why should I be mad at you? I destroy people, it's probably better you hate me."

"Don't you believe that for one minute." Legolas said firmly, kissing my tear-stained cheek. "You are an amazing person. You're always aware of those around you, always so in control. And together, we're going to get through this. I promise I won't ever doubt you again. I will always ask, will always listen when you say you have a reason. I'm going to stand by you, and you're stuck with me." I looked up at him, and slowly realized that he meant what he said. I threw my arms around him.

"Thank you." Legolas held me to his chest for a few minutes, before pulling away and looking at my arms.

"What happened?" he asked, in an almost accusatory manner, examining a few of the cuts.

"I think that's what happens when you have a run-in with a cave troll. Don't worry; my head took the brunt of the impact. Good thing it is so hard." I laughed slightly, and then looked him straight in the eye. "I didn't make these. I promise." Legolas nodded and ran a hand over my head, feeling for a bump.

"Why didn't you go get these treated?" he asked.

"People are more likely to poison me than heal me at this point. I'll be remembered as 'the girl who let Gandalf fall over a cliff.'"

"Better that then 'the boy who caused his best friend's death.'" Startled, my eyes snapped up to his face. Legolas sighed and moved closer to me, pulling me to a sitting position on his lap. "You asked me once why I hated caves so much, and I told you I had nothing against them."

"But you were lying." I said quietly. Legolas nodded.

"When I was young, only a small child, my best friend and I went exploring and found a small cave mouth. His name was Galan. Galan didn't want to go into the cave, but I convinced him it would be fun. We went in and began to explore. There was a cave-in. He… he didn't make it." Legolas took a heavy breath. "Everyone said it wasn't my fault, that there was nothing I could do, but I could see it in their eyes. I had decided to go in, I had convinced him, I had survived." For a moment I thought, realized how I would feel if I led Amanda into something like that. I thought how I would feel if she was gone. I looked up at him and put my arms around him, drawing him closer to me.

"It's like losing part of your soul, isn't it." I asked. "I can only imagine, but losing Amanda, that would destroy me completely. How do you go on?"

"It's hard." Legolas replied, "I still think of him almost every day. When I don't, I feel guilty, like I'm forgetting him." I ran a hand down the side of his face.

"Go ahead and cry. Sometimes you just have to let it all out." I told him softly, stroking his hair. I watched as slowly, tears formed and fell down his cheeks. "Galan may have died, but you still carry a part of him with you. He would have wanted you to be happy. I know because I spent years considering suicide, and every time I did, I thought of what Amanda would do. I wanted her to live, to be happy. I'm sure that Galan would have wanted the same for you."

"I know. Some days are hard, though." I pulled him down with me so that we were both lying on my bedroll with me cuddled on his chest.

"Stay with me tonight." I whispered, "We both need to be held, to feel, to find some way to know that everything will be okay. Otherwise, neither of us will find sleep tonight."

"And Amanda?" He asked quietly.

"She'll either come in here and sleep on her bed, or will drag her bed out of here and berate me tomorrow. I'm not too concerned, I think she'll understand that sometimes you just need someone for comfort. I lost it today, and I'm only just beginning to pick up the pieces."

"She was most…displeased with me earlier. I have her to thank, again, for opening my eyes to how much I have hurt you." Legolas looked down at me and kissed my forehead. "I seem to hurt you a lot, and not realize it until it is almost too late."

"Don't worry about it. It is hard to tell when I'm hurting. The only reason she can tell is because she's known me for over ten years. Just try not to do it again. Watching you turn from me hurt more than I ever imagined it could."

"I won't, I promise. I won't." With this, he reached over and snuffed the lamp, and I quickly fell asleep.

A/N: Next chapter will be Boromir and me... –grins evilly- This gives me a reason to update faster, doesn't it? -ANL-


	16. Amanda vs Boromir

**Chapter 16- Amanda vs Boromir**

I was on a roll. I had yelled at and made Legolas feel very guilty. Now, it was time to yell at Boromir. He had crossed Belinda and me one too many times. I grinned evilly as I thought of the payback, the sweet payback.

"Aragorn," I called out as I saw the Ranger talking with Frodo and Sam. "Where is Boromir?" Aragorn, wordlessly, pointed to the left, looking uneasy at the deranged look in my eyes.

When I finally stumbled upon my _dear _Gondor friend, I could not stop myself from shouting out, "Hey, ass-hole!"

He raised his head in my direction, and his eyes narrowed in challenge. "Oh, it's you. What do you want?" he asked, as if I was not good enough to be in his presence.

"You have given Belinda a hard time all day, and now, I am going to kick your ass," I whispered seriously. I was deadly when I whispered. I felt like Snape from the Harry Potter books.

Boromir smirked at me. "I would like to see you try." I raised my eyebrow, and without thinking, I reached out for a nearby sword. "Don't you know not to leave swords just lying around for crazy people to pick up?" I questioned. I could tell Boromir looked slightly uneasy, but he attempted to cover it up.

"You think you can do anything without your little friend to back you up?" Boromir pushed.

"Well, you see, when Amanda gets angry at certain males for hurting her best friends, Amanda finds that this upsets her greatly. And when Amanda gets upset, she gets very angry. And when Amanda gets very angry, everyone finds that Amanda is very scary when she is angry," I explained, twirling the sword around, while speaking in third person.

"You are crazy, girl," Boromir shot at me.

"Perhaps I am," I replied. I raised the sword slightly. "Now, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. The easy way entitles you giving Belinda an apology, while groveling on your hands and knees, and you get out of here without a scratch or a missing appendage. Or, we can do this the hard way, which entitles the loss of limbs or certain appendages, and hanging upside down. Now, which way would you like to do this?" I asked, still in a whisper, but my voice retaining a hard edge to it.

Boromir looked at the sword in my hand, and then looked into my eyes, and saw the dangerous fire that burned within them. He sighed in defeat.

"The easy way." I did not know whether to be happy that I won, or sad that he had not chosen to be difficult.

"Wonderful. Now, get!" I ordered, pointing in the direction of Belinda's tent.

I followed close behind Boromir, with my sword raised. When we reached our tent, I was surprised and happy to see that Legolas was there.

"You wait here," I ordered harshly. I went under the tent and placed a hand on Belinda's shoulder, gently shaking her awake. She groaned and slowly opened her eyes.

"There's someone here that would like to speak to you," I stated, leading Belinda out of the tent. Her eyes narrowed in anger at the sight of Boromir. "What do you want?" she asked coldly.

Boromir looked over at me. I gave him a hard look in return and raised my sword in gesture. He grimaced, but then kneeled down on the grass and mumbled. "I ask for your forgiveness for my behavior today, ma'am."

"What? I'm sorry. I don't think we heard you, sir," I stated innocently. Boromir shot me an angry look, but repeated much louder. "I ask for your forgiveness for my behavior today, ma'am."

The expression on Belinda's face was unreadable, but I knew that she would not accept Boromir's apology. Unless...

Without realizing I was doing, I threw my leg back and made contact with Boromir, in the area between his legs. Needless to say, he fell onto the grass, howling in pain.

"Will you accept his apology now, Belinda?" I asked quite innocently, ignoring what I had just done a moment ago. Belinda's face held nothing but shock for a second, before she burst out laughing. I knew, then and there, that everything was right with the world.

Except both Belinda and I had to make sure we were not strangled in our sleep.

**A/N: **Sorry about the lack of update, dear readers, but reality has called away from fanfiction. But summer is here now, and we need something to occupy our time. Read and review, all that good stuff. –pirateers- aka –ANL and Loriela-


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